Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The Dingbei Army's accommodations arranged by the Zhendong Army were Rumi brand chain hotels, where most of the people were assigned standard double rooms, meaning two people per room.

Only a few senior military officers, as well as Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Zhao Yuanzhen, the three cultivators, had the privilege of single occupancy in king-sized rooms, indicating that even though the first batch of cultivators had not yet graduated, they already enjoyed a privileged status within the military.

After Yan Yu had finished washing up and changed into his pajamas, he was about to play with his phone on the bed when there was a knock on the door.

Upon opening the door, sure enough, it was Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries and strode into the room, asking directly,

"Who was that blonde woman before? What were you guys really up to in the room that you're hiding from me?"

"And what right do you have to question me?" Yan Yu sneered back. "Know your place, woman!"

Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless, not so much intimidated by Yan Yu's tone and demeanor, but because it suddenly occurred to her that his inexplicable rescue of that woman might actually have been directed by his master—and that explained why he had gone all the way to Shengjing to do such a baffling thing.

The Demonic Sect Enchantress was fiery and temperamental; even with her own Dao partner, she wouldn't hesitate to create a huge scene if annoyed.

But dealing with someone cunning in divination, and continuing to brazenly pry into secrets, wouldn't be much different from courting death.

Instantly, she deflated and said with a forced smile,

"Umm... I was just concerned about you, you know? The prettier the woman, the more skilled she is at lying and deceiving. I'm just worried you might get scammed..."

The latter part of this, surprisingly, was mostly the truth, which one could tell just by looking at the two women currently in the room. Not to mention the Demonic Sect Enchantress with her cunning and deceitful nature, even the feigned-smiling Chen Lingyun was a master of manipulation, capable of spinning an innocent girl around with just a few words.

Yan Yu's expression softened as he explained,

"There's not much more to say about this. That girl's name is Anna; right now, she's just an ordinary person, but if nothing goes wrong, she'll become a significant figure in the future, which is why I took the initiative to make contact with her."

To the two listeners, his explanation took on two different meanings.

Zhao Yuanzhen understood it to mean that her master had divined that the girl had an extraordinary destiny, which is why he had sent Yan Yu to deliver some karmic link ahead of time... Thinking of this, she immediately felt a tremor of unspeakable thrill and excitement.

An extraordinary destiny? What kind of influential figure could she become? Could it be someone who defies the heavens and earth, whose commands are unchallengeable and who possesses peerless power?

Should I... should I also get to know her, make a friend?

Chen Lingyun's thoughts were much more complex. First of all, the woman's appearance was clearly mixed-race, and background scrutiny for cultivators strictly limits foreign lineage within three generations in direct relatives; anyone with a foreign national in their immediate ancestry is barred from enrollment, so it's highly unlikely that the woman would be a domestic cultivator in the future.

So is she a foreign cultivator? And one with considerable power and status?

Should I investigate... Hmm, initiating an inquiry from here probably wouldn't get past that blockhead from the capital; I'll have to find another way.

Seeing them both deep in thought, Yan Yu, familiar with their natures and ways of thinking—neither of whom were the types to stay within bounds—hurriedly warned,

"This matter does not concern you. If you meddle rashly and ruin my plans, I will not let it go lightly!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Zhao Yuanzhen replied impatiently.

Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to interfere with the plans of such a powerful figure—did she think her life was too long, or what?

But the woman next to her with a belly full of scheming, well, that was another story...

Chen Lingyun, with a smile brimming with mischief, purposely asked,

"Oh~ And just how would you not let it go lightly? I'd like to hear this."

This cunning woman, believing herself incredibly clever and fearlessly audacious, would retort to threats with remarks such as "My, is your back okay?" or "Need any blue pills?" no matter how many times you threatened her over and over again.

But Yan Yu knew her too well and would not be stumped by such questions, simply responding,

"If you dare mess with my business, I will annihilate all possible delights that might pique your interest, making you live out a life utterly devoid of amusement."

Chen Lingyun's smile froze in an instant, but she quickly recovered, speaking coquettishly,

"Ah, isn't that a bit much? Without fun, I might just die, you know."

"Consider this fair warning!" Yan Yu said brazenly, pointing a finger at her nose.

Since Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu still had their daily dual cultivation and Qi Refinement practice to attend to, Chen Lingyun took her leave first.

In the hotel corridor, she saw a young man standing in front of her room, reaching out to push the doorbell next to her door.

"Liu Longtao?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise.

"Chen Lingyun." The man turned around, with a warm smile on his face, "Long time no see. Just came over to say hello."

That smile, so similar to the fake smile Chen Lingyun habitually wore—at least seventy to eighty percent alike—made her feel nauseated every time she saw his face, as if she were looking into a mirror.

Could this idiot please just drop dead on the spot? Seriously, so annoying! Buzz off!

"Indeed, it has been a long time," Chen Lingyun said with a false smile. "Shall we go for a walk?"

"That would be great," Liu Longtao replied enthusiastically.

As they took the elevator down, Liu Longtao suddenly laughed and asked,

"I checked tomorrow's roster for the battle, and your name isn't on it—why is that?"

Chen Lingyun, feeling increasingly irritated inside, laughed and said:

"Because Yan Yu is better suited for this exchange battle than I am."

"Ah, that's really too bad." Liu Longtao said with a smile, his face showing no sign of regret, "I was looking forward to crossing a few moves with you."

"There will be opportunities in the future." Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

"I hope so." Liu Longtao smacked his lips and said leisurely with a smile, "With your strength, you will surely stand out in the Zhendong Army sooner or later, so there is no need to rush at this moment."

This sarcastic tone was not even concealed anymore... Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

"I don't really mind that. Yan Yu is far superior to me; I admire him wholeheartedly."

"Oh?" Liu Longtao immediately showed interest, "Could you tell me about him?"

He had come over tonight specifically not just to catch up with Chen Lingyun; his real purpose was to "spy on military intelligence."

If Chen Lingyun hadn't become the representative of the Zhendong Army, it meant that this Yan Yu must have completely outclassed her in terms of strength, rendering her background and status utterly ineffective... Just who was this guy?

Upon reaching the hall on the first floor, Chen Lingyun found a sofa to sit down on but didn't bring up Yan Yu; instead, she nonchalantly asked:

"Did you gather information about the other army's representatives?"

"Li Zhaojiang of the Annan Army." Liu Longtao didn't play coy and spoke openly, "His strength is moderate, nothing special. As long as you're stronger, you can just run him over head-on."

"Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army is daring and fierce, nothing like a lady should be. In facing her, you need to seize the initiative and aim for a quick victory; otherwise, if she recklessly fights you for her life, you could be caught off guard and she might pull off an upset."

Such intelligence was not difficult to gather, and Liu Longtao believed Chen Lingyun already knew it, so he didn't beat around the bush and hide anything.

"And what about Yan Yu?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

"That, I really don't know." Liu Longtao chuckled, "Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu aside, the strongest in the Annan and Pingxi armies have been under scrutiny since admission. Miss Chen, you and I were selected by the military for training back in April, so information about the four of us is basically known throughout the military."

"But that Yan Yu... he's only enrolled this month, right? Logically, how could he surpass you to compete? Ha, but it has happened, and everyone is perplexed. I guess Pingxi and Annan are scrambling for information now too, but the final list was settled on Thursday—there's hardly any time in just one day to figure it out, is there?"

"That's also true." Chen Lingyun nodded and said with a laugh, "But haven't you already guessed?"

"What do you mean?" Liu Longtao asked curiously.

"If he could replace me, it means he completely overpowers me in strength, so much so that no one in the military could object." Chen Lingyun's smile grew brighter, as if a wife was boasting about her husband's career, "And who among you can be sure of defeating me?"

She stood up, stretching lazily with a yawn, and said:

"No matter what I say, it's unlikely you'll win. Better wait for tomorrow's match and see for yourself."

Chen Lingyun walked toward the elevator, feeling absolutely delighted. Meanwhile, Liu Longtao sat on the sofa in deep thought, then suddenly asked:

"Do you really admire him wholeheartedly?"

Miss Chen of Jianghai Prefecture wouldn't even spare peers from similar social circles a second glance, and now she was admiring an ordinary person from a common family?

"I find him quite intriguing." Chen Lingyun didn't look back, "He's certainly more interesting than any of you."

What seemed like an innocuous comment to others was like a bolt from the blue to Liu Longtao.

What?

Chen Lingyun was interested in a man?

He was silent for a long, long time until he was sure Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs before he quietly took out his phone and opened the chat group of the princes from the capital.

"Princess Jiang Hai has taken a liking to a man!" Liu Longtao posted in the group with a whole row of exclamation points to convey his shock.

Several people quickly responded, all in disbelief:

"Who is it? Is he still alive or did she play him to death?"

"Wait, by 'taken a liking,' do you mean as in dating?"

"Princess Jiang Hai would date a commoner? You're joking, right—a toy, maybe!"

Liu Longtao replied swiftly on the keyboard:

"Whether it's dating or being a toy, that guy is doomed either way."

This time the group seemed to reach a consensus:

"Indeed."

"Moment of silence."

"Really pitiful."

"May he rest in peace."

"Amitabha."