Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

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But whether Ms. Lu was truly happy in her heart, that was unknown.

The first 30 minutes of the program consisted of standard questions. Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin had clearly rehearsed their answers, which were stable and flawless, leaving no room for criticism.

After a break, it was time for the audience Q&A segment. Lu Zhiyu pulled out a cue card and said with a smile:

"Actually, many of our audience friends have watched Ruoxi's previous press conference and know that Ruoxi is very hardworking in her cultivation, with barely any free time in a day. A netizen from Minyue Province asked, 'I've tried to spend most of my day studying just like Ruoxi, but by the third day, I couldn't keep up at all. Could you share the secret of how you maintain such strong self-discipline, Ruoxi?'"

Xie Ruoxi was immediately taken aback: Self-discipline? What's that? No, sister, the lines at the press conference were officially scripted, I just read them out, didn't you know?

She looked towards Su Yunjin for help, and as a fellow team member, the latter naturally stepped in to save the situation. She smiled and said:

"I'll answer for her as her teammate. Ruoxi can lead such a disciplined life because she loves cultivation from the bottom of her heart. Interest is the best motivation. I suggest that if this student wants to achieve academic success, cultivating an interest in studying is more important than forcing oneself to follow a strict schedule."

"I see. Ruoxi's success is due to her boundless interest and passion for cultivation." Lu Zhiyu revealed a polite smile that said, "So that's how it is," but thought to herself that although Su Yunjin was only ranked fourth in the advancement orders, she was much smarter and had higher emotional intelligence than Xie Ruoxi, who was ranked first—Ruoxi looked naive and dumb, introverted and slow-witted, and probably couldn't utter half a sentence if she hadn't memorized a fluid script in advance.

But that's okay, I quite like this young lady Ruoxi compared to a certain captain who speaks without thinking.

Xie Ruoxi also nodded reservedly, but a thought flashed through her mind: "Eh, am I really like that?"

It seemed true upon reflection. I hate things I'm not good at, like studying and part-time jobs. But for things I excel in, such as watching anime, playing mobile games, cosplaying, and mingling in otaku circles, I've always been quite passionate.

Eureka! Cultivation is my otaku niche! It's my forte!

Being adept at photography and cosplay, Xie Ruoxi was naturally comfortable in front of a camera. She had been careful with her script simply out of fear of embarrassing herself with a slip of the tongue. Now, realizing that she was the country's number one Hua Fu Stage cultivator, and that whatever she said would be rationalized by others, she suddenly felt a bit proud and self-satisfied.

Why was I so nervous! As the first person in Lu Country to advance to the Hua Fu Stage, would the show's crew even dare to let me lose face?

"Yun Jin," Lu Zhiyu continued to ask, "A netizen from Jiangbei Province wants to know your hobbies besides cultivation."

"Oh, I usually like to read, garden, and clean." Su Yunjin replied, "The captain once said: 'The worldly life itself is a practice for refining the heart, and daily life is cultivation,' so I also try to experience more new things and develop more interests."

"What about Ruoxi?" Lu Zhiyu casually asked, "With so little free time, what hobbies do you have, Ruoxi?"

"I like otaku culture." Xie Ruoxi said with a smile.

Su Yunjin's smile froze on her face, and even Lu Zhiyu had trouble maintaining her composure, quickly trying to smooth things over:

"Oh, speaking of animation, Jianghai Art is planning to produce an anime related to cultivators..."

"That's not right." Xie Ruoxi interrupted her, "Simply understanding otaku culture as just anime is a narrow-minded misconception unique to outsiders. The most accurate meaning of otaku culture currently includes ACGN, which stands for Animation, Comic, Game, and Novel..."

The four people in front of the television, including Yan Yu who instinctively sat up from Lin Ning's lap, were all stunned, as if petrified.

"Ruoxi is getting carried away," Chen Lingyun quickly regained her composure and said with a smile, "Actually, Ruoxi has always been like this. Timid and cautious against the wind, and bold and unrestrained when it's favorable... Hahaha, that's quite interesting."

"What a huge embarrassment!" Lin Ning couldn't help but moan, "This isn't just 'interesting' anymore! From now on, when people mention Ruoxi, the first thing they'll think of won't be the numero uno cultivator of the Hua Fu Stage, but the serious otaku girl who dared to shout 'I love otaku culture' in front of a live television show!"

"What's wrong with that?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled, "Is loving otaku culture a crime?"

"It's not exactly a crime..." Lin Ning was at a loss for words, only to hear Yan Yu wave his hand grandly and suddenly say:

"It's okay. Even though it's live, the show crew will surely help smooth things over. We should trust the host's professional skills..."

Before he had finished speaking, he saw that Lu Zhiyu's microphone had not been handled securely and dropped to the ground with a smack.

Yan Yu fell silent. Speaking of which... wasn't this considered a performance mishap?

Luckily, Su Yunjin saved the situation again, quickly picking up the microphone, discreetly turning off the switch with her back to the camera, and handing it to Lu Zhiyu, saying:

"Here you go."

Lu Zhiyu, who got the hint, picked up the microphone and said a few words before expressing surprise:

"Oops, did the microphone break from the fall? Sorry, dear audience, please wait a moment, we will be right back..."

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