Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"Are we good to go?" Yan Yu asked.

"Mhm, very handsome." Xie Ruoxi gave his bangs one final touch-up, took a moment to appraise his face, and then suddenly said shyly, "Extremely handsome."

"Cool it with the fangirl face, you're about to drool." Yan Yu pushed her to the side and turned to ask, "Everyone ready? Let's go!"

The group left the dressing room and arrived at the press conference, where they walked onstage and took their seats in order.

Before the host even announced the start of the question period, a sea of hands shot up from the crowd below.

"Headline Daily." The host called out.

"Hello." The reporter from Headline Daily stood up, "Why did you choose to play four against five, with Captain Yan taking on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone? What was the reasoning behind this decision?"

"Short on time, thanks." Yan Yu replied nonchalantly. "Next."

Reporters: .........

It sounded dismissive, but on further reflection, it actually made sense: with the Mysterious Realm transitioning between day and night every fifteen minutes, and nights being patrolled by Yin Soldiers and ghosts with boosted strength, it was impossible to besiege the gatekeeper.

That is to say, if the Zhenhai Team fought the Flying Dragon Battle Team with all members, there might not be enough daylight left afterwards, and they would have to wait for another day-night cycle, which is why Yan Yu decided to split his forces to save time…

Could your explanation be any more far-fetched?! Just to save a mere ten or so minutes (not even ten hours), is it necessary to have one person take on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone?

The reporters all had a vague sense that Yan Yu's choice to go solo was really just a stunt to show off in front of the entire nation... but they had no evidence.

"Please, Ba Guan News." The host gestured to continue with the questions.

"Captain Yan, what is your assessment of this match's opponents—the Flying Dragon Battle Team?" asked the reporter who got the microphone.

This kind of mirrored question had already been asked during the Flying Dragon Battle Team's Q&A session. Cai Qianlong's reply had been "Yan Yu is likely the strongest cultivator in Lu Country currently," a straightforward, no-nonsense answer that carried newsworthy value.

In contrast, those like Shen Rui gave standard, insipid, bureaucratic responses that disgusted reporters so much they didn't even want to ask.

Of course, Yan Zhanlong seemed more the carefree and unbridled type and was not likely to be as smooth as Shen Rui, so the reporters were all eager to hear how he would critique his opponents—preferably with criticism, then with praise, or even with a balanced view, as long as it wasn't some insincere, boring platitude.

Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking:

"Huh?"

The room went silent.

"Captain Yan, what is your assessment of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?" The Ba Guan News reporter thought he hadn't heard clearly, so he repeated the question.

"Sorry." Yan Yu answered seriously, "Haven't faced them, not familiar. Next."

That reporter stood there as if struck by lightning, speechless for a long while, and the surrounding crowd all held their foreheads.

This guy can't be serious!

Did Yan Yu really not know about the Flying Dragon Battle Team? Impossible, or else he wouldn't have sent Chen Lingyun's team to fight four against five.

Making such a risky tactical decision meant that he definitely had a clear understanding of the Flying Dragon Battle Team's strengths! How could he "give no assessment"?

Of course, it wasn't possible for them to confront the issue head-on and say, "Come on, Captain Yan, we know you understand the Flying Dragon Battle Team; just give us your evaluation." So, unanimously, they became more cautious:

Yan Zhanlong indeed disdained speaking in clichés like Shen Rui, but that didn't mean he was an easy interview subject. They needed to stay sharp!

"Pound News." The host continued to call out names.

"Hello, Captain Yan." This reporter was much more respectful, given the failure of the previous two, and he decided to handle Yan Yu with kid gloves, so as not to waste his chance at a question with a flippant response, "First, congratulations to Zhenhai Team on winning this match, and second, due to the camera breakdown, no one saw how you defeated the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.

Could you give us a brief description?"

"Oh, sure." Yan Yu responded openly, "I chased the gatekeeper down to the underground palace, where he suddenly cast some kind of evil spell and transformed into a giant Godzilla made of bones. Then I dodged his attacks for a while and finally seized a crucial opportunity to use my finishing move and killed him in one hit."

Reporters: .........

The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper turned into Godzilla, and then you finished him with your ultimate move, right? Why don't you say you transformed into Ultraman?

If it had been Qi Changping during the school-starting period, he would certainly have explained to the reporters that while Yan Yu might seem easy to talk to and was willing to answer questions, this didn't mean he would give the answer you wanted.

"Does anyone else have a question?" the host asked to confirm.

Incredibly, no one raised their hand. It wasn't because they had run out of questions, but rather that they were all racking their brains on how to frame their question so that Yan Yu would give a serious answer.

Luckily, among the reporters were some clever individuals who quickly came up with a strategy:

"I'd like to ask Vice Captain Chen, there was a lot of negative commentary about the Zhenhai Team before the match. Did the Zhenhai Team choose the risky strategy of four against five in this confrontation to counter these criticisms?"

If Captain Yan was tough to handle, they should be able to ask Vice Captain Chen Lingyun, right?

"It's not that." Chen Lingyun took the microphone from Yan Yu, smiling, "It's to let Yan Yu face the gatekeeper alone to save time."

Reporters: .........

Some still refused to accept defeat and continued to raise their hands, inquiring:

"So please tell me, will the Zhenhai Team adopt the same aggressive tactical strategy in the next Mysterious Realm competition?"

"The specific tactics and strategies depend on the specific objective circumstances," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "If the next Mysterious Realm competition's rule is limited to women brawling, we would definitely exclude our captain Yan Yu as well."

Reporters: ..........

Well, utter annihilation.

"That concludes the reception." The host announced swiftly.

After leaving the highly praised press conference, Yan Yu and the others packed their bags and boarded the flight back to Jinling.

Nowadays, with a large number of media stationed in Gaodu County, those good old days of "finishing the Mysterious Realm and playing locally for a day" are probably gone forever.

"Are we going to debrief this time?" Inside the cabin, Lin Ning played with her phone for a while, before suddenly asking.

It's like a student who must check their answers after an exam; it would feel awkward not to.

"There's no need," Chen Lingyun said leisurely. "The other side was in their first contest, and regardless of whether they were ready, they certainly didn't show it well this time. The value of the debrief isn't significant."

"Indeed," Zhao Yuanzhen commented. "Moreover, Cai Qianlong, as the captain, had such unimpressive combat strength; so disappointing."

The girls were speechless. In fact, Cai Qianlong could become the captain of the battle team; not to mention his brains or awareness, at least his strength was undoubtedly exceptional.

But the problem lies with Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team; his strength is at a superhuman monster level, which inflated the girls' standards of assessment. How do you compare Cai Qianlong with Yan Yu? Even if you compare Liu Longtao with Yan Yu, the conclusion would be the same, but there's no point!

"By the way, during the press conference, Cai Qianlong said that you, Yan Yu, are Lu Country's strongest Cultivator," Su Yunjin asked curiously. "Is it true?"

"Though I'd rather not admit it, right now it seems no one in the country can beat him," Lin Ning glanced at Yan Yu.

"Nonsense," Yan Yu scoffed. "I have already said I am the strongest in this world, okay?"

"Talking big doesn't cost money," Lin Ning said cheerfully. "There are so many powerful Transcendents overseas, once you have defeated all of them, then you can claim to be the 'strongest in this world'!"

"Naive," Yan Yu expressed his disdain. "Does the world's richest person need to compare bank account balances with everyone else?"

"It's already too much for you to compare yourself to Lu Country's richest, how have you suddenly become the world's richest?" Lin Ning directly retorted. "Even counting generously, haven't we only had one encounter with foreign Transcendents? Where does this confidence come from?"

As she finished speaking, Yan Yu's phone rang.

"Hold on, I need to take a call," Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone and answered the call.

Sitting next to him, Chen Lingyun could see clearly that the caller ID was unknown, only indicating it was a number from East Sea Province.

"Hello," Anna's voice came through the phone. "I'm at Lukou Airport, where's your home?"

"Why are you in Jinling?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

"On a business trip," Anna replied.

You, a witch practicing illegally without an official job, on a business trip, my foot! Yan Yu said irritably:

"I'm on my way back to Jinling Prefecture; I'll give you a call when I arrive."

After hanging up the phone, he heard Lin Ning immediately ask:

"Yan Yu, whose call was that?"

Although the other girls didn't ask, they all pricked up their ears inadvertently, shifting their attention to the matter.

"Just an international friend," Yan Yu answered nonchalantly. "She says she's already in Jinling and wants to find me."

"International friend?" Lin Ning asked curiously. "Male or female?"

"Female," Yan Yu paused, then continued, "I'm not sure if it counts as illegal entry; might need to report it to the higher-ups. Chen Lingyun?"

"Is it that person?" Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

"Right," Yan Yu nodded.

Seeing that Chen Lingyun also knew the caller's identity, the other girls felt confused and a sense of crisis began to emerge in their hearts.

"Why do you both know her, but I don't?" Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to show her dissatisfaction.

"You know her as well," Chen Lingyun replied, smiling.

"Who is it?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked in bewilderment.
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"Whoever it is," Su Yunjin stated indifferently. "Since she's come to Jinling, we must give her a good reception."

"Indeed," Lin Ning agreed, quickly seizing the opportunity to clear the air about the visitor's identity.