Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

A few days later, Sofia and Maria bid farewell and left.

Due to the increasingly intense conflicts in the north, Natasha had already given up on diplomatic efforts and planned to take her group back home to join the war.

The sisters were all resisting the Gillia bears, and Sofia and Maria felt it improper to loaf around in the south, so they went to Pingjing to meet up with Natasha's envoy group and left Lu Country together.

Now only Anna remained in Jinling Prefecture, waiting for Yan Yu's final response.

Yan Yu too was waiting for Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming to make a decision.

Yan Zhanlong went to the north to support the witches, a venture that required no cost from Lu Country. The only risk involved was to Yan Zhanlong's own safety... but that's just a common issue in modern warfare. Swords and spears have no eyes; one must go into battle prepared to make sacrifices—there's really nothing more to say.

Better to take this chance to train well!

"The key to Sword Flight is the mind!" Yan Yu explained while teaching on the spacious training field outside, "Focus your Divine Sense on the sword, and wholeheartedly imagine that the sword's light envelops you! Imagine you are controlling the sword's light, traveling unfettered throughout the seas and deserts, reaching the highest heavens and the lowest underworld.

There's nowhere in this vast world you can't go!"

He performed a live demonstration of Sword Flight for everyone, deliberately executing the motions slowly. He rode the Huang Tingjian's light in a large arc across the sky, eventually landing back at the original spot, sword and body separating:

"To disengage from Sword Flight is also simple. Once you've reached your intended landing spot, just imagine jumping out from the sword's light."

"Now, who wants to give it a try?"

"I will!" Zhao Yuanzhen volunteered eagerly.

In her world, Sword Flight was an advanced skill in the Sword Control Technique. Sword Control Technique was a basic skill everyone had, but only about sixty percent could manage Sword Flight. And even more advanced skills like the Sword-Body Union were something only those dedicated to swordsmanship, the Sword Immortals, would learn.

Zhao Yuanzhen definitely belonged to that sixty percent and had long mastered Sword Flight. Her volunteering now was just to show off; she wrapped herself in the Yin Wind Sword's light and rose with a whoosh, circling around the school grounds. Almost all the outdoor teachers and students saw her.

She landed back in front of the girls, hands on hips, sporting a smug and self-satisfied smile.

"Very good, the rest of you should give it a try too," Yan Yu said, noting some of the girls seemed nervous, and comforted them, "Don't worry. If Sword Flight succeeds, then it's a success; if it fails, nothing happens, and there's no danger."

Once the team leader assured them there was no danger, the girls started to practice according to the manual.

Yan Yu sat in a chair to the side, watching. Lin Ning was the quickest to get the hang of it, and it didn't take long before she started to draw the Green Bamboo Sword's light close to her body, though she hadn't yet achieved the level of "rising with the light."

Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin's progress was much slower. Although they seemed to be concentrating fully, the Purple Extreme Sword and Coral Tear merely circled around them without any signs of transforming into sword light.

"Don't be afraid!" Yan Yu saw their furrowed brows and promptly reminded them, "Being enveloped by the sword light doesn't mean it will harm you! I told you, there's no danger!"

Despite his repeated assurances, the notion of letting the sword light engulf them—when it was usually directed at enemies—made the girls somewhat uneasy.

Yan Yu watched from the side for quite some time, feeling the exasperation of a driving instructor witnessing a novice driver's outlandish maneuvers, almost wishing he could take their place.

Glancing to the side, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby, giggling while watching a meme video, and immediately glared at them:

"You two are slacking off again!"

"No, we're not!" Zhao Yuanzhen called out in her own defense, "Didn't I already master it?"

"I'm still not proficient with the Sword Control Technique…" Xie Ruoxi said meekly.

"If you're not proficient in Sword Control Technique, shouldn't you be diligently practicing to catch up to everyone else?" Yan Yu spoke righteously, then turned and commanded Zhao Yuanzhen, "You teach her swordsmanship! Only when you've taught little Xie can you rest freely!"

"You little thief!" "Have mercy!" Zhao Yuanzhen cursed while Xie Ruoxi cried plaintively. Seeing Yan Yu showed no sign of relenting, they exchanged a glance, and suddenly their wariness skyrocketed.

"Sister Zhao," Xie Ruoxi quickly distanced herself, her face adopting a flattering smile as she spoke, "We have such a deep sisterly bond, why inflict such harm on each other? I'll practice diligently; you don't have to worry too much about me…"

"Ruoxi, ah." Zhao Yuanzhen's smile carried ill-intent as she laughed, "Of course, I believe you'll practice diligently. But if I put pressure on you, I trust you'll learn even faster. Look at how far you've fallen behind everyone. I'm doing this for your own good."

"Sister Zhao, you really don't need to worry about me." Xie Ruoxi's gaze shifted, searching for an escape route as she spoke, "You know, my mental strength is actually quite fragile, and pressure will just make me crumble faster. Can you not force me, please?"

"Mmm, mmm, mmm," Zhao Yuanzhen advanced step by step, "Don't worry, Ruoxi, I'll be very gentle and light-handed. Just be a little attentive, and you'll definitely be able to block my attacks... Behold the sword!"

The clash of the Yin Wind Sword and the Heavenly Origin Sword produced a metallic ring. Although Xie Ruoxi was exceptionally talented and her True Yuan was sturdy, her progress in cultivation was nevertheless falling behind. She was quickly beaten by Zhao Yuanzhen to a point where her face was swollen and battered, and she even began to cry out in pain once again.

She was naturally delicate and lovely, and her tear-streaked face made her look especially pitiable, just like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Any man would instinctively hold back, but Zhao Yuanzhen was a Demonic Sect Enchantress, utterly devoid of such compassion. She continued to intensify her sword attacks and excitedly shouted:

"Stop crying! Defend yourself! Will crying help you on the battlefield? Crying by day, crying by night, do you think that will cry the enemy to death? Strike at me! If you kill me, you'll be saved!"

Yan Yu sat back and watched coldly, thinking that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was true to her cruel nature. Using her against Xie Ruoxi, this pitiful waste of beauty, was utterly perfect.

As wise as I am, I truly deserve myself!

After chasing Xie Ruoxi around for a while, probably realising that pretending to be pitiful was utterly useless, Xie Ruoxi could only brace herself and exchange blows with Zhao Yuanzhen.

After practicing for nearly an entire afternoon, the girls still hadn't mastered Sword Flight; even Lin Ning, who had the fastest progress, could only manage to whirl her sword aura around herself.

Under intense pressure, Xie Ruoxi's Sword Control Technique actually began to take shape; at least she now knew how to block when your sword struck at her.

When Yan Yu announced the end of training, she immediately plunged into Su Yunjin's arms, bawling—Secretary Su was the kindest and most maternal figure in the team; that pretty waste had a vicious eye for sympathy.

Seeing her covered in bruises and injuries, Su Yunjin felt a tad heartbroken, but she also felt it inappropriate to interfere with Yan Yu's training plan, so she could only comfort Xie Ruoxi gently and treat her wounds.

Zhao Yuanzhen, having enjoyed bullying her easy target, felt she finally understood the joy of being a team leader, and came over buzzing with excitement saying:

"From now on, why don't I just take over Ruoxi's training?"

Xie Ruoxi immediately lifted her head from Su Yunjin's embrace, her face pale and her shoulders trembling as she looked at Yan Yu with pleading eyes, her lips quivering.

"We'll see," Yan Yu pondered, stroking his chin, thinking it wouldn't be right to let the Demonic Sect Enchantress torment the beautiful waste all the time. After all, Zhao Yuanzhen didn't know how to pull her punches, and he was afraid that it would leave lasting mental scars.

What about treating her like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over Xie Ruoxi's head all the time? If this waste dares to slack off or shirk work, I'll just threaten her with the Demonic Sect Enchantress—as a complementary deterrent to the "banning of all gaming platforms," to be used in combination.

Yes, that will do.

"Where are we eating tonight?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked with great enthusiasm.
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"You decide," Yan Yu replied casually. "How many meals do I owe you now?"

"Fourteen," Zhao Yuanzhen said.

"Don't try to inflate the numbers," Yan Yu said disapprovingly. "I only promised you ten meals in total. How did it suddenly go over?"

"You wrecked the puppet last time, and you think repairing it didn't cost me anything?" Zhao Yuanzhen argued righteously.

The two of them haggled back and forth, while Su Yunjin took care of Xie Ruoxi's injuries. Chen Lingyun sat with Lin Ning chatting, when suddenly her phone rang.

"Lingyun, it's your phone," Lin Ning reminded her.

"Mm," Chen Lingyun answered the call and began speaking in dialect.

Even though Lin Ning didn't understand exactly what was said, she could roughly guess that the person on the other end must be her mother.

After hanging up, Chen Lingyun turned around and called out:

"Yan Yu, let's not eat out today."

"Why's that?" Yan Yu asked.

"My mother has come to Jinling," Chen Lingyun answered. "She wants to treat our team to a meal."

Lin Ning keenly noticed that there wasn't the usual beaming fake smile on her face, but rather an impression of a calm and inscrutable lake surface.