Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

After getting rid of Lin Ning's admirers, Yan Yu's mood became somewhat sour.

Dammit, I'm also a handsome dude with maxed-out looks! Young and handsome, strong too, favored by the Commander-in-Chief, and with a bright future ahead, why didn't any beautiful and brave girls pursue me during school? For certain, it must be Chen Lingyun pulling some tricks!

Wait, I remember at the previous team commendation assembly, wasn't there a girl who asked, "Can I pursue Captain Yan"? Then, wasn't she shut down by someone? Zhao Yuanzhen, you were involved too?

Since both of these ladies are suspects, the remaining two might not be innocent either.

Secretary Su has a love for literature and has read widely; she surely has a mind deep with thoughts. Sister Lin originally had no suspicions, but today she suddenly asked me to pose as her boyfriend, isn't this having a guilty conscience? Continue your journey at empire

Could it be that they have secretly formed an alliance, aiming to secretly drive away all the women who dare to come close to themselves?

Of course, now within Yan Yu's mind, the "to-do list" has far too many critical tasks, and dating is a priority that can't be raised for the time being. If a beautiful girl were to confess to him, he would have to refuse, though with a heavy heart.

But! "I can't accept confessions from others right now," doesn't mean "you can block others from confessing to me"!

Although this suspicion has no concrete evidence at the moment and is merely Yan Yu's subjective conjecture... as is well known, as the captain, Yan Yu's power within the team is limitless.

I'm not holding grudges or retaliating because I suspect you, but for you to quickly grow in strength, increasing the intensity of the training is quite normal, right?

......

Although Yan Yu's intentions were good, clearly no one appreciated his efforts.

In the following sparring practice, Su Yunjin, being the weakest, was the first one eliminated.

She misjudged the necessary output of True Yuan during her block, which caused her Coral Tear to be directly struck flying in the swordsmanship combat, and then Huang Tingjian suddenly switched to its back edge before slashing, volleying the literary girl harshly away like in tennis.

Su Yunjin didn't even scream before she flew out and rolled several times on the ground, then lay still—startling all the other ladies.

"Get up!" Yan Yu commanded without mercy, "Falling down on the battlefield equals suicide... unless you've passed out!"

Struggling to prop herself up, Su Yunjin, though in pain everywhere, quickly got into a starting position and forcefully activated the Shifting Technique.

The next second, Huang Tingjian smashed into the ground where she previously laid; if she had been slower in deploying her Shifting Technique by even half a second, she would have taken the hefty blow.

Lin Ning was about to sarcastically say, "Aren't you hitting too hard," but the thought died on her lips. After all, cultivators are essentially military professionals. One could lament being handled too roughly in training, but what was one to do when facing the enemy on the battlefield? Beg for mercy?

"There's an opening!" Yan Yu swiftly made a hand sign for the Sword technique, and Huang Tingjian abruptly changed course, launching a ferocious attack on Lin Ning, "Distracted while sparring with me?"

Luckily, Sister Lin's reactions were exceptional, and she quickly drew her Green Bamboo Sword to parry. The two swords collided rapidly in the air, the noise resounding like thunder, forcing Lin Ning into disarray as she barely managed to stabilize her defense.

"The one with the opening is you!" Zhao Yuanzhen took the chance to charge forward, with Yin Wind Sword aiming straight for his forehead.

Unexpectedly, while heavily attacking Lin Ning, Yan Yu suddenly switched to Curved Curse and grabbed the Yin Wind Sword, flinging it aside.

Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

"Are you trying to kill me with laughter?" Yan Yu, now having rushed to her face with Shifting Technique, reactivated Curved Curse, and punched towards her head, "Who said I only know how to control swords?"

Chen Lingyun watched coolly from the sidelines, seeing Yan Yu brutally beating Zhao Yuanzhen with punches and kicks while Huang Tingjian relentlessly pressured Lin Ning. He managed to maintain absolute advantage on both fronts in a short time—a feat difficult to achieve with Three Arts and Five Spells.

Three Arts and Five Spells can't be employed simultaneously, because they require maintaining specific True Yuan courses within the body. Although Yan Yu could compensate for this limitation with his ultra-fast switching speed, if the other side attacked non-stop in numbers, forcing him to keep Barrier Charm activated and without a pause, his only choice would be to flee.

The Sword Control Technique is different, however; the Flying Sword resembles the gold medal Emissary Batons that follow the Chief Hall Master. As long as the Chief Hall Master gives the command "kill this person" or "how to kill," the Flying Sword goes about its business without the need for constant instruction.

Looking at the situation on the field, Yan Yu's eyes, while locked in close combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, were not fixated solely on her; his gaze occasionally swiftly flicked to Lin Ning's direction.

Each glance, fleeting as it was, could read the situation across and command Huang Tingjian to execute the next perfect strike. The periodic strikes knitted together not only maintained the attack on Lin Ning but also pressed her into complete helplessness. How terrifying was this ability to suppress the battlefield?

"Chen Lingyun, don't you surrender!" Zhao Yuanzhen finally couldn't hold back and yelled, "If we lose, you won't get off easy either!"

"I haven't surrendered, you know," Chen Lingyun replied with a drawn-out laugh, "I'm just looking for his weakness~"

Indeed, confronting an opponent of this level head-on offered no chance at victory.

We must wait for the right moment.

"I don't believe that while you're multitasking at high intensity, you can maintain a flawless posture without showing any weaknesses, dear."

Don't let me catch the opportunity~

Suddenly, Chen Lingyun's hands, which had been behind her back, moved like lightning to form a sword technique.

The Purple Extreme Sword transformed into a streak of light aiming at Yan Yu, the timing was exactly when he shifted his gaze away from Lin Ning—an instant where the Flying Sword rushed in from the blind spot of his turned vision.

At the same time, the five ghosts that had taken the form of fierce dogs had already burst through the wall from underground, attempting to bite down hard on his legs…no, they missed?

Yan Yu suddenly lunged forward, avoiding the bite of the five ghosts, and at the same time, had grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen's arms, then with the aid of the Curved Curse's power, twisted them behind her to use her as a human shield.

Chen Lingyun made a decisive change in her sword technique, or else if the Purple Extreme Sword injured Zhao Yuanzhen, their relationship with the Demonic Sect Enchantress would be over—and she wasn't done playing yet!

As the Purple Extreme Sword slowed down on this side, the princess saw Zhao Yuanzhen's body rapidly enlarging in her field of vision.

She was hurled towards Chen Lingyun with great force by Yan Yu, who was empowered by the force of the Curved Curse, using her like a cannonball!

At this point, Chen Lingyun was too late to dodge. She couldn't keep up with her on-the-spot reaction speed, but a thought suddenly flashed through her mind:

It was careless of her, given Zhao Yuanzhen's strength, how could she stand up to Yan Yu's frontal attack for so long?

......

Having cleanly knocked down all four team members and finished loosening up his muscles, Yan Yu felt refreshed and clear-headed. Standing in the middle of the field with his arms crossed, he struck a heroic pose as he looked at the battered girls with a cold expression and asked:

"Do you know where you all failed just now?"

"So, it's about killing the will along with the body, huh?" grumbled Zhao Yuanzhen.

"Speak up!" Yan Yu immediately glared at her and bellowed, "I can't hear you!"

"Let me say it," said Chen Lingyun lightly. "I thought I had caught your flaw, but it turned out to be a trap you'd set on purpose."

"Hmph," Yan Yu snorted disdainfully through his nose, commenting, "You're overly confident in your own intellectual abilities, to the point where you had no defense against other possibilities, it's hard to believe that such a clumsy tactical error could occur to my deputy team leader."

"Alright, alright," Chen Lingyun said with a resigned smile, "As 'your' deputy team leader, it was indeed a major oversight on my part, and I must admit it."

Zhao Yuanzhen looked at her skeptically, feeling that the woman's words carried an ulterior meaning and were not well-intended.

"What are you looking at!" Yan Yu scolded her again, "What's your problem?"

"Losing is my problem!" declared Zhao Yuanzhen, standing tall.

"Idiot!" Yan Yu immediately scoffed, "You knew well that your strength is not equal to mine, yet you insist on fighting solo. Don't you ever consider cooperating with your teammates? If you continue to be so headstrong next time, you'll still end up beaten black and blue by me!"

Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, but unfortunately, her body was already tired, too weak to argue or protest further, and could only secretly bear a grudge:

This villain has domestically abused me today and shamed me afterward for only knowing how to "fight alone". I'll remember this! When the day comes that I can turn the tables, I will unite with the other sisters to show you what "overwhelming numbers" means, as well as what "beaten black and blue" really looks like!

"What about little Lin Ning?" Yan Yu shifted his gaze, asking coldly.

"My swordsmanship lacks adaptability," replied Lin Ning with no interest in protesting the address, sounding weak and dispirited, "As soon as I face too much pressure in a head-on confrontation, I only think about defending and counterattacking, leading to predictable and unchanging countermeasures that are too easy to read."

"Correct," Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, "Rather than focusing on improving your adaptability, what you need to prioritize now is the awareness to actively change strategies on the actual battlefield! Combat isn't like solving problems; enemies won't intentionally leave you with solutions. You need to be more proactive, ruthless, and aggressive, placing more emphasis on offense than defense.

Don't always think about adapting; instead of solving the puzzles given by others, you need to keep the initiative to change tactics firmly in your own hands!"

"Finally, what about Yun Jin?"

"Me?" After a moment of silence, Su Yunjin said with a bitter smile, "My problem is probably that I'm too weak."

"If you're weak, then train harder!" Yan Yu said impatiently, waving his hand, "Let little Lin Ning accompany you in extra practice! It just so happens that she needs to practice taking the initiative in attacking, and you can work on the basics of defense. The two of you can complement each other perfectly!"

"And the two of you," he looked at Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun again, "Deputy team leader, it's time to use your brain."

"Teach her how to coordinate tactics. Before the next Mysterious Realm confrontation comes, you must have her well-trained!"

"That's all, disband!"