Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

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The members of the Zhenhai Team, after having dinner, returned to their hotel rooms to rest.

Tomorrow was the official expedition to the Mysterious Realm, and tonight the ladies had planned to go shopping. However, it was rumored that many reporters were lying in ambush on the streets outside the hotel, so the Dingbei Army sent someone to advise them not to go out unless they wanted to be on camera.

Of course, even if surrounded by reporters for an interview, the Dingbei Army, as the host, would rush to the rescue, but it would still be quite troublesome.

Yan Yu lay on the bed, playing with his phone, when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.

When he opened it, he saw Su Yunjin standing outside, holding a fruit platter and saying generously,

"I brought you some fruit."

"Where did you get it from?" Yan Yu let her in.

"The restaurant on the second floor." Su Yunjin placed the fruit platter on the table, "Have you seen the online public opinion after the press conference?"

"No, what are they saying?" Yan Yu asked.

"They're saying, 'I didn't believe you had a harem at first, but after seeing so many beauties, I believe it.'" Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

"Heh." Yan Yu was about to mock netizens with a few words, but the words stopped on his lips.

Well said, indeed beauties.

Secretary Su's face still bore the makeup from attending the afternoon's press conference, her lips redder and fuller, her eyeliner adding more brilliance, her hair tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a few strands left loose beside her cheeks, which gave her a delicate, yet somewhat flirtatious and cunning feel.

No wonder reporters kept taking pictures of her during the press conference.

If Xie Ruoxi were here, she would certainly explain to Yan Yu that this was called "fairy-like makeup." Unfortunately, the beautiful but useless wasn't around, and Yan Yu just felt she was pretty and admired her in his mind, reaching for the fruit to eat.

"You haven't removed your makeup yet?" He asked nonchalantly after eating a grape.

"I'll remove it when I go back." Su Yunjin sat down beside his bed, supporting her body with her hands behind her, and elegantly lifting one leg.

"So what are you doing now?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

With a slight smile, Su Yunjin asked,

"Does the team leader want to send me away?"

Yan Yu figured he was not Chen Lingyun, that despicable person, and of course, he wouldn't say something like, "Now that you've delivered the fruits, you can leave." He smoothly changed the subject,

"Why would I send you away? I just thought you had something to ask me."

"Actually, I do have something to ask the team leader." Su Yunjin said, "I have some doubts about combining Taoism Method and swordsmanship." Continue your journey on empire

"Hmm, I've seen you've been practicing this recently." Yan Yu thought quietly.

There are no textbook answers on how Taoism Methods should combine with swordsmanship. Each Cultivator has their own unique interpretation. For instance, Zhou Hongyu likes to bomb recklessly with Taoism Methods and uses the Flying Sword when the True Yuan is running low; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, uses Taoism Methods for long distances and the Flying Sword for mid to close range combat.

But Su Yunjin's case was different from theirs. For others, Taoism Methods have sufficient destructive power and the Flying Sword serves merely as a supplemental means of attack. Su Yunjin's Star River Secret Art is more about strong control with weak damage, so she needs sword techniques to augment her damage output, especially when she lacks team support.

Although Yan Yu himself was not versed in Taoism Methods, in his previous life he was, after all, a top-tier Sword Immortal and definitely understood sword techniques.

"I could teach you, but it's not convenient to watch your demonstration in the hotel," he said with a smile. "Let's wait until we're back at the school, and I'll teach you at the training ground."

"It's fine, I recorded a training video." Su Yunjin took out her phone, "Do you want to watch it now?"

"Sure." Since she was so well prepared, Yan Yu agreed to watch it.

He leaned in to view the video.

From the video, it was evident that Su Yunjin was quite proficient with the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art—the control over her True Yuan was incredibly strong; compared to that, her Sword Control Technique was appalling, with significant issues in precision and power.

But after careful analysis, one could not blame her. Because when the target is hit by the Star River Secret Art, they are enveloped in turbulent flows, and the Flying Sword, to strike the target, must also enter the flow. Both the resistance and the pushing force of the flow affect the trajectory of the Flying Sword.

Since her Sword Control mastery was not high, it made sense that her performance was subpar.

Thus, Su Yunjin's problem is the poor "compatibility" between her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art and Sword Control. While it was not completely incompatible like Li Zhaojiang's Element Magnetic Light with sword techniques, if she couldn't find a suitable solution, it would undoubtedly affect her performance in practice.

At times like this, the mightiest person in this world had to come up with a solution!

As Yan Yu was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrance coming closer—it was Su Yunjin leaning in towards him, afraid he couldn't see the video clearly, and bringing the phone closer to his eyes.

"Team leader, look here." Though their proximity was somewhat intimate, Su Yunjin seemed completely unaware, focusing only on the phone and saying, "Every time the Flying Sword cuts into the water, its speed and precision both noticeably drop; but if I reduce the True Yuan output and slow the flow, it weakens the control effect of the Taoism Method. So, is there a good solution?"

Suddenly, she turned her head, and her lips almost brushed against Yan Yu's face. Panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

Yan Yu also felt she was too close, several reaction options flashed through his mind:

Quietly moving back a bit—no, too cowardly, that doesn't suit the reputation of the mightiest in this world.

Pretending everything was normal—also no, too dull, like a love-struck fool who's never dated.

Wrapping an arm around her slender waist and giving a rakish smile—definitely not, too easy on her! What if Secretary Su takes that as a chance to throw herself at me!

As Yan Yu was deep in contemplation and Su Yunjin's heart pounded, a voice suddenly rang out from outside.

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It was Chen Lingyun's voice:

"Yan Yu, are you there?"

Su Yunjin was instantly alarmed and felt the irrational panic of being caught in the act; just as she was about to find a place to hide, she heard Yan Yu call out:

"Yes. Yun Jin is here too, what's up?"

Su Yunjin's eyes widened in shock: No, why are you bringing me up, Captain!!!

"Open the door~" Chen Lingyun's voice turned sweet, as if she had found amusement, and her tone became cheerful.

"Alright." Yan Yu stood up to open the door for Chen Lingyun.

When Chen Lingyun entered the room, her makeup was already removed. Seeing Su Yunjin sitting on Yan Yu's bed with her makeup still perfectly intact, it was clear she guessed what had transpired. Smiling, she teased:

"Did I interrupt something between you two?"

"No, Ling Yun! We were just..." Su Yunjin tried to explain when she heard Yan Yu interject:

"Yeah, so if you knew that, why haven't you scrammed?"

"...We were just discussing cultivation." Su Yunjin finished her explanation weakly, feeling like her excuse was incredibly transparent.

But Chen Lingyun didn't press the issue further and simply smiled, saying:

"Guess what intel I've got?"

"Someone sabotaging from the shadows, right?" Yan Yu said icily, "I figured as much."

"Previously, the higher-ups exchanged the prisoner 'Thunderbird' Margaret with Miti for a lot of things," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "among which was the 'Mysterious Realm live broadcast technology'."

"The Dingbei Army had previously used a large number of camera drones for suicidal infiltration recon of the Mysterious Realm, sending back a lot of intel on the interior of the realm."

"I see." Su Yunjin also understood, on the side, "Someone leaked the intel to the Flying Dragon Battle Team?"

"They guard this information closely; we couldn't get our hands on it," Chen Lingyun said with a light smile, "but I could confirm through clues that the Flying Dragon Battle Team got the intel."

Intel that drones could gather about the interior of Mysterious Realm—environmental terrain, restrictions, monsters, and guardians and the like—of course, would provide a significant advantage to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

Not to mention, if they start out by heading straight to steal a guardian using the fastest route, or find a favorable terrain to lay ambush to rob from you, what do you do? Even if it's live streamed throughout, they could just claim "I happened to choose this route" and there would be no evidence to conclusively prove they cheated!

Su Yunjin's eyebrows knitted tightly, thinking that this was bad. The Flying Dragon Battle Team was already fighting on home turf, entering the Mysterious Realm earlier and thus already had the advantage of time; if they also had prior intel on the realm, they would have the advantage of terrain as well!

However, Yan Yu showed no concern, merely scoffing:

"People online said 'cheating is a tradition in the tri-top combat dispute', didn't think the netizens would actually predict it. But so what? This time, we're going to show certain people that the gap in absolute strength cannot be changed by petty moves or small tricks."

"I was thinking the same thing," Chen Lingyun said, smiling, "The reason they resort to underhanded tactics is because there's no chance of winning otherwise. Now that we know this, then..."

Before she could finish, someone suddenly started knocking at the door again.

Yan Yu went to open the door and saw it was the Flying Dragon Battle Team's captain, Cai Qianlong — their team was staying on the third floor, and the Zhenhai Team was on the fifth; what was this guy doing coming up here?

"Sorry for intruding." Cai Qianlong nodded to Yan Yu, entered the room with pomp, and then noticed Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were also there. Hesitating, he asked awkwardly, "Did I interrupt something good here?"

"What do you want?" Yan Yu asked, not bothering to explain, just closing the door.

"It's like this." As Cai Qianlong spoke of his purpose, his expression turned serious, "I wanted to have a heated and exhilarating duel with you, but someone intends to use dirty tricks, influencing the outcome of this confrontation."

"I can't say who it is explicitly. I've discussed it with my teammates, and if we used outside help to gain an advantage we shouldn't have, and still lost in the end, wouldn't that shatter our moral integrity? As cultivators, we disdain such actions; better to fight fair and square. Even if defeated, it would be honorable, with a clear conscience.

If necessary, we'll simply strive to catch up with you afterward!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive, offering,

"All the intel about the Mysterious Realm is in here! After you finish reviewing it, you can dispose of this USB drive, and we'll start from the same starting line. I've said all that needs to be said, don't ask more."

Yan Yu looked at the USB drive in his hand and chuckled,

"Although you're not as strong as Lord Master, you do have a bit of his pride. As for this intel, forget it. If we also become familiar with the terrain of the Mysterious Realm, and if those behind the scenes spot any irregularities tomorrow, wouldn't they immediately suspect your team?"

"And what about it?" Cai Qianlong retorted proudly.

"Nothing much," Yan Yu laughed heartily, "There are some things you disdain to do, and similarly for us."

"We don't need this intel. Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we'll still crush and defeat you, just like that."

Cai Qianlong fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter,

"Good! Worthy of being Yan Zhanlong, whom even Liu Longtao acknowledges as superior!"

He pocketed the USB drive and turned to leave,

"Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we won't be stealing any guardians. Let's find a place to duel, and we'll let strength speak for itself!"