Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Yan Yu actually admitted that "Anna has developed deep feelings for him," which gave both bosses quite a shock.

Chen Tianming displayed a noticeable expression of displeasure, while Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow and asked:

"You dare to say that? Aren't there many beautiful girls in your team that you don't fancy? What about Chen Lingyun, aren't you two in a good relationship?"

"Look who's talking," Yan Yu retorted with a wry smile, "It was Anna who fell in love with me, so how did it become my fault? Why shouldn't I dare to say it?"

Li Weiguo frowned slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, Chen Tianming suddenly dropped the coldness from his face and asked earnestly:

"What is her current status within the Amur Witch Clan?"

"Her aunt is an elder of the Witch Clan," Yan Yu replied, "The power structure of the Amur Witch Clan is very flat, with only two tiers: elders and ordinary members. Because they have been facing various external threats for a long time, the clan is very united internally, with no significant barriers or conflicts."

Although Yan Yu only briefly explained in a few words, Chen Tianming, being the astute person he was, could immediately deduce many things from his words:

A flat power structure implies that the Amur Witch Clan is a newly established Transcendent regime that hasn't been around for long; no distinct class barriers have been put in place between the upper and lower echelons, and there's a high degree of mobility; facing constant external threats, power is essentially tied to strength, so everyone naturally supports the most powerful witch.

All these points indicated one possibility, that is, Lu Country could become a substantial vassal state by providing military aid to support Anna—who has Lu Country blood and a close relationship with Yan Yu—in becoming the ruler of the Amur Witch Clan.

It sounded very feasible, but in reality, it was completely impractical, because Lu Country had pursued a policy of peaceful isolationism for many years, which had formed a strong political inertia—or rather, "the general trend."

Going against this trend was not just a problem of achieving half the result with twice the effort but a slight carelessness could lead to a fall into a bottomless abyss.

If he could be 100% sure that the Amur Witch Clan would gain a firm foothold in the north, he would naturally be willing to bet all his chips at any cost, but how could such things ever be certain?

"Yan Yu," Chen Tianming asked meaningfully, "do you think Lu Country should provide aid to the Amur Witch Clan?"

"I think doing nothing would be foolish," Yan Yu said bluntly, "The war among Transcendents doesn't experience logistical pressure and is more akin to a desperate street fight, often ending with the complete obliteration of one side. If we stand by and watch, only for the victor to turn against us later, how would that be any different from being fools?"

"The Rakshasas are preparing to take back Siberia," Chen Tianming said slowly, "If we support the Amur Witch Clan in establishing a strong foothold and later the Rakshasas come to reclaim their lost territory, what then?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell silent.

In his previous life, the Rakshasas had a very firm stance on reclaiming Siberia, having initiated three witch-hunting wars as proof of their uncompromising resolve... and also as proof of their lacking strength, as they failed to succeed even after three attempts, who could have foreseen that?

No wonder Chen Lingyun said this approach was unfeasible. At least at the current point in time, people had not yet realized the true power of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, nor did anyone believe that a rabble could defeat a regular army.

"I believe," Yan Yu said slowly, "that the only constant in human history is that nothing is eternal. If one prepares in advance, they stand firm; if not, they fall apart. To make assumptions about the future without making contingency plans, and then to rage impotently when things go wrong... that's not my style, nor can I understand it."

Li Weiguo wore a thoughtful look, while Chen Tianming stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said:

"I didn't say I wouldn't make contingency plans, so what's the hurry?"

Where have I hurried... Lost for words, Yan Yu adopted an attitude of "You're right; I'm all ears," waiting for Chen Tianming to continue.

"Deploying Zhendong cultivators is out of the question; I'm telling you upfront not to harbor any excessive hopes," Chen Tianming spoke leisurely, "But not all cultivators are under Lu Country's control, right?"

Yan Yu was initially startled by the remark, then he took a sharp intake of breath.

Dammit, you sly old coin!

What did Chen Tianming's words mean? It meant that the Zhendong cultivators, having official statuses, were not suitable to be mixed up in such affairs, as exposure on the international stage would create a lot of trouble.

But civilian cultivators didn't have this restriction. Since internationally, civilian Transcendents were assumed to be free agents and hard to control, European superheroes could run off to Miti to join the Superhero Alliance, so Rikoku civilian cultivators wandering north to be hired by the Amur Witch Clan would also be perfectly normal, right?

Considering that Lu Country had always employed strict measures to control civilian cultivation, it made perfect sense for civilian cultivators to flee the country to evade these controls.

Of course, the calculations didn't stop there. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Lu Country has always adopted a policy of strict control and crackdown on civilian cultivators, mainly because civilian cultivation is more detrimental than beneficial to both society and the upper echelons.

However, Chen Tianming's strategy cunningly revealed the unique value of civilian cultivators—they can do certain things that official cultivators find inconvenient to handle.

With this identity, it's like tearing a hole in the domestic policy of cracking down on civilian cultivators. Even better, if it's managed well later on, people will think, "Hey, civilian cultivators are actually quite useful," and then Chen Tianming would have grounds to propose loosening the controls on civilian cultivation.

By now, Yan Yu had finally understood the meaning behind Chen Lingyun's words, "The value that Yan Zhanlong can offer is greater than you imagine." What Chen Tianming meant was that helping the Amur Witch Group was not a good deal; they could be destroyed at any time in the future.

But in order to get Yan Zhanlong on his side and support his proposition, he was willing to make that investment, even if it meant a total loss.

Thus, the problem was thrown to Yan Yu. Because with what Chen Tianming had done, he was essentially being forced to make a choice.

Do you want to continue opposing the relaxation of controls on civilian cultivation, or do you allow civilian cultivators to help your little lover?

Come on, young man, make your choice!

This calculation was really shrewd, but the critical mistake made was ignoring one fact: I, Yan Yu, am the strongest in this world; can you really manipulate me so easily?

Yan Yu pondered for just a moment before saying,

"The combat team cultivators are off-limits, I understand that. So, you mean if I retire from the Zhendong Army, participate in the northern war as a civilian volunteer cultivator, then return to the country and re-enlist after the battle is over, right?"

Li Weiguo: ???

Chen Tianming: ???

"Not at all, not at all." Although this kid was probably joking, Li Weiguo couldn't ignore the 1% chance he was serious and immediately put on a serious face to deny it, "How can you retire because of this? No way, I won't approve it!"

"How can you deceive yourself like this?" Chen Tianming couldn't help but laugh, "Is Yan Zhanlong no longer Yan Zhanlong if he retires? With your current status and identity, whatever you do abroad that gets seen by others will still reflect on Lu Country."

"So, the key isn't whether you are actually a Rikoku Cultivator or not, but whether you are recognized by others," Yan Yu quickly seized the critical point, clapped his hands and said, "As long as I wear a motorcycle helmet to cover my true face, switch to another Flying Sword, and pretend I'm just an ordinary civilian cultivator from Rikoku, avoiding revealing the identity of Yan Zhanlong, I'm good to go!"

The two bigwigs fell silent again, at a loss for words.

Is it feasible? It turned out to be quite feasible indeed. Because Sword Immortals differ from law cultivators, Assistant Officers, and Envoys as they don't possess unique Taoism Methods, magical treasures, or control over spirits that could be recognized; their only conspicuous possession is their personal Flying Sword.

Once the sword is changed and the external disguise is in place, it would really be impossible to tell who is who—a masked Sword Immortal with hands clasped inside his sleeves forming a Sword technique, not even letting you see the subtle movements, how could you tell them apart? Are you supposed to discern their swordsmanship style?

The only one who could identify a person by their fighting moves just from watching is Wang Yuyan! There's no such all-knowing character in reality; they don't exist.

"Yan Yu," Chen Tianming said calmly, "If you're going to disguise yourself, you need to do it thoroughly. With the exception of Anna, none of the other Amur witches can know your identity."

"But if you do this, what's the advantage for you? No one will know the merits of Yan Zhanlong, all the prestige and benefits will be taken by Anna—and your relationship with her is just unrequited love after all."

"If she falls for someone else in the future and cuts off her relationship with you, will these sacrifices have any meaning at that time, aside from moving yourself?"

Yan Yu couldn't deny that Old Taishan was right. If he didn't know and trust the character of the Eclipse Queen from his past life, he certainly wouldn't dare make such an early investment in Anna.

"You're right," Yan Yu said with justified earnestness, "But I never expected to gain any benefits from Anna in the first place. If the Amur Witch Group becomes the ultimate victor, if Anna can rise to power smoothly, as long as she's willing to keep the northern border of Rikoku peaceful, I won't have any regrets for sweating or bleeding for it!"

This lofty speech was delivered by Yan Yu with such passion, rhythm, and power, that even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, two seasoned heavyweights, were momentarily shocked and speechless.

Could it be that we have misjudged him all along? Does he really possess such a high level of ideological consciousness?

This thought barely arose in their minds before rationality took over again.

No, no, no, it's more likely that he has some closer, private relationship with Anna, one that makes him absolutely sure she will never betray him.

Look at Chen Lingyun. She was a clever and intelligent girl from a young age, and others often found themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with her. Yet, ever since she met Yan Yu, she's become so tame and willing to even serve as his deputy!

That rascal Yan Yu, dealing with girls as if he has a special ability!