Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Leaving the infirmary of the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu turned his head towards the girls and asked,

"So, what do you think?"

"I think it's quite interesting," Chen Lingyun said with a full smile.

"I didn't ask you that!" Yan Yu waved his hand to interrupt her, "Analyze how we should approach this mysterious realm."

"According to Deputy Captain Zhang's description, the combat environment is still relatively spacious, so even large-scale Taoism Methods won't be restricted," Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "There aren't many obstacles or covers in the environment, which indicates that the designer doesn't want us to play tricks. We are asked to defeat the avatars by fighting them head-on in battle."

"To sum up, it is undoubtedly a test-type mysterious realm, and there won't be unsolvable puzzles—the fact that all members of the Huofeng Team were seriously injured but not dead also supports this," she continued.

"The key lies in how we solve the puzzle," Lin Ning added.

She looked at the other two, Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, who remained silent, making Lin Ning somewhat regretful that Yun Jin wasn't there—otherwise, she might have been able to discern more detailed clues, right?

No matter, we still have Ling Yun.

"The avatars will replicate one of the members in our team," Chen Lingyun continued, "and enhance them based on that member. Their specific moves will change, but won't completely deviate from the original's fighting style—it's like moving a version of us with higher cultivation and stronger abilities from the future here."

"Indeed," Yan Yu nodded, "So what?"

"Since the avatars are based on us, we can extrapolate their weaknesses from our own," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "My weakness is slow reaction speed, so the suitable tactic is surprise attacks, pushing with an ultra-fast offense and defense rhythm to force her to make irrational decisions."

"My issue is that I'm not adaptable enough when facing unfamiliar situations," Lin Ning analyzed, "So to deal with my avatar, we should try to increase the complexity of moves, burdening her with excessive thinking in response."

Everyone looked towards Xie Ruoxi.

"Me?" Xie Ruoxi said uncertainly, "I feel that my biggest weakness is my lack of combat experience..."

"But if it's the future you, that might not be a problem," Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "It's better to consider weaknesses related to thought patterns or innate talents—flaws that aren't easily compensated for."

"Her weakness lies in favoring brute force over finesse," Yan Yu suddenly said, "She's easily deceived tactically."

"What about Sister Zhao?" Lin Ning asked.

"Me?" Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a moment then said with frustration, "I really can't think of any weaknesses I might have."

"Sister Zhao's weakness is an overly strong desire to attack," Yan Yu said deliberately, "which makes her behavior too predictable."

Zhao Yuanzhen's nose wrinkled immediately as she silently fumed, keeping grudges in mind, thinking:

"That jerk actually said I have an overly strong desire to attack, and my behavior patterns… eh? What does 'too predictable' mean? What's he getting at?"

She had intended to retort firmly against Yan Yu's words, but unexpectedly she found herself too illiterate to understand the criticism, thus unable to imagine how to counterattack in the future, and felt embarrassed to ask him (for fear of revealing her ignorance), so she could only cross her arms and sulk in silence.

Finally, the group turned toward Yan Yu, and after a collective silence, suddenly, Lin Ning spoke up:

"I suggest we replace the captain, find a cultivator from the Huofeng Team who isn't too badly injured, and have them team up with us to tackle this mysterious realm."

"I agree," Xie Ruoxi hastily said.

"It would indeed effectively lower the difficulty level," Chen Lingyun concurred.

"It's about time for a change!" Zhao Yuanzhen also exclaimed, seizing the chance to avenge the sharp criticism she just faced!

"Stop joking around," Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, "Without me, how would you fight the four enhanced avatars in the beginning?"

"My God!" Lin Ning immediately retorted, "Captain, you really have no shame, actually assuming your avatar would be the strongest and come last!"

"Otherwise?" Yan Yu frowned, "Am I not the strongest?"

"You could at least be modest about it!" Lin Ning huffed.

"Alright, stop arguing," Yan Yu commanded with a grand wave of his hand, "Let's go in and test the waters. We can always retreat along the same way we came in. Also, think about whether there are any dark secrets that the avatar might spill out."

At the mention of dark secrets, the girls fell silent, each beginning to introspect and assess.

Chen Lingyun thought to herself: I have them, but I don't care, let them be revealed.

Lin Ning thought to herself: I have them, as long as I firmly deny it, it shouldn't be a problem.

Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, "I have, and I don't want to remember, because every time I do, I feel like dying..."

Zhao Yuanzhen thought to herself, "...I'm a bit hungry."

Yan Yu didn't say anything and led the deep-in-thought girls toward the direction of the Mysterious Realm.

Passing through the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the outside world was enveloped by the night sky, yet within it was clear blue skies. Many Military Manor cultivators were moving up and down the mountain paths, transporting various types of equipment.

This time the Mysterious Realm was rather special: there was no danger outside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, but even drones couldn't fly inside. The Huofeng Team was originally equipped with cameras, but as soon as they passed through the lake, the devices were immediately rendered useless. It was only after they emerged and performed a check that they found the chips inside completely burnt out.

The lake itself was now sealed, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to conquer it. Yan Yu led the team up to the mountaintop, where they saw a huge conical instrument set up on the shore, its point aimed at the center of Mirror Lake, where the water was rapidly swirling into a wild vortex at least twenty meters in diameter.

The girls were all deeply shocked, taking a careful look at the high-tech device that Lu Country had created with the help of cultivators, while Yan Yu seemed used to it. He went over and said a few words to the person in charge on site and then turned his head to give an order:

"Sword Control, follow me!"

Everyone conjured up their sword lights and flew swiftly to the vortex directly above Mirror Lake. Then, with the sword lights hanging upside down, they plunged in headfirst.

As the world spun around them, gravity had suddenly flipped.

The sword lights were clearly moving downward, but the moment they passed through the surface of the lake, it transformed into an upward motion.

Where once the shoreline filled with Military Manor cultivators and the huge device stood, now there was a splendid and lavish celestial palace. The palace, made of jade bricks and glazed roof tiles, was crystal clear and complemented the lake waters below, shining with brilliance.

"It's so beautiful," Lin Ning murmured.

"It looks like a really tough dungeon," Xie Ruoxi couldn't help saying.

"It would be great if there were a lot of treasures," Zhao Yuanzhen said, posing as a senior, with composure.

"How's it?" Yan Yu asked.

"All checked." Chen Lingyun, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, had released the Five Ghosts to scout the area and came back saying, "Apart from the altar beneath the water, there is no other entrance."

"Then that's good," Yan Yu nodded. "Dive in!"

Avoiding the whirlpool they had come through, the group entered the calm water and saw, as they approached the bottom near the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, that there were indeed five small altars.

As Zhang Huaide had said, each person chose an altar to stand on.

After another bout of the world spinning around them, the group found themselves inside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, in the midst of a long crystal corridor.

The front led to a great hall while the back was a dead end, also with five single altars, for transporting the people back the way they came.

"Come to think of it, who is the weakest in our team?" Lin Ning suddenly asked out of curiosity.

"Definitely not me," Zhao Yuanzhen said.

"I suppose that would be me," Chen Lingyun laughed. "Everyone, get ready, we're about to face 'Chen Lingyun' soon."

"Why do you seem so happy about it?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

"Because I really want to see what an enhanced version of 'Chen Lingyun' is like," Chen Lingyun said, her smile beaming like a flower.

Although her words seemed a bit incendiary, Lin Ning was suddenly inspired by her and had an epiphany, saying:
Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

"If it really is a version of myself from the future, or even a more powerful simulation of myself, then studying how she utilizes various methods in combat can offer us valuable guidance and reference, right?"

"You're right," said Yan Yu calmly. "For the Huofeng Team, such foresight is indeed precious. But you have me as the team leader to provide high-level guidance and correct directions for cultivation, so it's not necessary to study how the replicas fight. At most, they serve as a self-motivator—a reminder that 'if I cultivate diligently, I can reach that level in the future'."

"The Captain is still as narcissistic and shameless as ever," Lin Ning quietly communicated with the girls using a transmission.

But upon reflection, at least until now, Yan Yu's guidance and arrangements had never been wrong.

Lin Ning still remembered the days when she first dabbled in the Three Arts and Five Spells. She had seriously considered "whether to learn close-quarters combat" but was advised by Yan Yu that "it would be more appropriate to practice the Metal-Element Impact Curse."

Now, as a Sword Immortal, she used the Sword Control Technique as her main means of attack, and the practice in Impact Curses had indeed greatly enhanced her response time and accuracy.

So what would my future self look like, a dashing and suave female Sword Immortal?

With this thought, Lin Ning too felt a sense of longing and anticipation.