Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

In the past life of the Pingxi Army's combat team, there were five members.

The captain was Zhou Hongyu and the deputy captain Zhang Huaide, followed by Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi.

Zhou Hongyu needs no further introduction, a pure brute type who would launch at the enemy like a missile upon sighting them, with his body reacting faster than his brain. It was only because he was the strongest that he was appointed as captain.

But if you actually expected her to make any decisions, then the team would probably be annihilated in a matter of days.

In fact, the one who really took on the captain's duties was deputy captain Zhang Huaide. He was the brain of the entire team, but since his strength was the weakest in the group, he had to rely on Zhou Hongyu's prestige to command—if not, the other members would not follow his lead.

Body Cultivating Cultivator Qin Meng, a straightforward, stubborn, and dedicated man from the northwest, was said to have set his sights on Zhou Hongyu from the very first day of school and since then, could not look at any other woman.

It was only after Zhou Hongyu's sacrifice on the battlefield that the man's spirit died, and he sank into depression for around three years. Eventually, the army leadership couldn't stand by any longer; they directly ordered an intervention, forcing him to date until he found a girlfriend—it was said to be a girl from Nanchuan, suspiciously looking like a substitute for his love.

As for the femme fatale Tang Xiaolian, most discussions were about her miraculously amazing poison skills. Apart from that, there wasn't much information, only knowing she seemed to be Zhou Hongyu's little fangirl.

There's a saying that after the sacrifice of Zhou Hongyu, the higher-ups of the Pingxi Army finally started paying attention to cultivators' psychological issues, and the little sister was also arranged by the army to go on blind dates, only to find that she couldn't find a boyfriend at all.

Because no one could accept the risk that after an argument with their girlfriend, even drinking water could result in a dose of strong laxative... That's just the way a chemist is, never offend them, or else you'll end up guarding your home water dispenser 24/7.

Compared to these four, the fifth member, Meng Qingxi, was not as well-known. Not because he lacked strength, but because his character wasn't as standout, and the media didn't fancy promoting him.

As Yan Yu thought this over, he saw Tang Xiaolian smiling and asking:

"There's no one here, right?"

Since Zhou Hongyu wouldn't speak up, he had no choice but to say:

"No one's here."

"Thanks~" Tang Xiaolian and Qin Meng, holding their trays, sat down beside them.

Qin Meng's face was extremely ugly because that morning, in the spectators' seats, he had watched throughout how his secretly admired goddess was humiliated and abused in various ways by her opponent in the competition.

Right now, that very opponent sat across from him, still having the audacity to eat with the goddess, and the goddess even acquiesced to this, which made him feel like his world view was collapsing and he couldn't vent his fury anywhere.

Yan Yu calmly ate his meal, not caring about the brooding dark face opposite him.

Truth be told, without mastering the art of Body Cultivating, wasn't Qin Meng just a joke?

You get your "Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill" first before talking.

Tang Xiaolian sat beside him, giggling while sipping her yogurt, her other hand under the table, already quietly fishing out a small pill.

Zhou Hongyu suddenly looked up, her face expressionless as she looked towards Qin Meng, then at Tang Xiaolian beside him.

Qin Meng tried to soften his expression while Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment and then stuffed the pill back into her pocket.

"I've eaten my fill." Yan Yu stood up, picked up his tray, and said to Zhou Hongyu, "I'll get going first."

Zhou Hongyu did not make a sound.

It wasn't until Yan Yu left the cafeteria that Tang Xiaolian tentatively asked:

"Sister Hongyu..."

"He is my opponent," Zhou Hongyu said coldly, "You don't need to meddle."

Having said that, she too stood up with her tray and left without looking back, leaving both Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian looking at each other in dismay. Discover hidden tales at empire

"You were thinking of drugging him, right?" Qin Meng frowned and asked her, "Have you lost your mind? Stay away from me the next time you commit a crime, so you don't drag me into it."

"It's not poison!" Tang Xiaolian immediately explained, "It's a prank lemon pill! Even if it accidentally gets mixed into the food and eaten, it would just cause the person to make a sour face... As for you, with that face looking like you want to hit someone, if it weren't for Sister Hongyu being there, you would've definitely flipped your tray on his head!"

"Bullshit!" Qin Meng cursed resentfully, "If Zhou Hongyu can't beat him, how could I possibly provoke him directly? Wouldn't I just get publicly beaten to the ground in the cafeteria?"

"Good to know," Tang Xiaolian huffed, "Sister Hongyu said, Yan Yu is her chosen rival, so you better not overestimate yourself. Otherwise, you'll just lose face for our Pingxi Army."

She picked up her unfinished meal and moved to a table across.

————————

After lunch, Yan Yu strolled around for a bit, a sort of post-meal walk.

The last match was scheduled for three o'clock in the afternoon. Afterwards, the Dingbei Army would arrange a dinner reception, and everybody would take a plane back home after dinner—so today was their last day at the Dingbei National Defense Academy.

It was early June by now, and the south had already started to warm up, but Shengjing was still enjoying the late spring scenery, with a comfortable and pleasant temperature.

As Yan Yu walked on the academy's main road, someone suddenly called out to him from behind:

"Hey! Are you Yan Yu, a cultivator from the Zhendong Army?"

The voice sounded like a girl's. Yan Yu turned around and, indeed, saw a girl running over from the opposite side.

She had a cute short haircut, was very pretty and had an air of elegance about her. Her smile was pure and flawless, and she had an innate affability and was skilled at socializing.

But Yan Yu also immediately recognized her:

Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, whose parents were both ordinary corporate employees, without the extremely complicated background like Zhou Hongyu's.

There were two reasons why she was memorable to Yan Yu:

First, the girl was a great speaker and had "great looks," so she later became the designated spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, beloved by the public.

Second, she used to serve as Liu Longtao's deputy team leader.

For example, taking Zhou Hongyu's team, she, the leader, excelled in combat, so the deputy leader would be someone like Zhang Huaide, who was more strategic. This illustrates that the deputy leader's most important duty is to compensate for the leader's weaknesses.

Liu Longtao was strong in combat and not lacking in wisdom, without any clear shortcomings. It's actually very difficult to be his deputy because it's hard to complement his role.

Eventually, you're most likely to end up doing miscellaneous tasks, having the title of deputy leader, but doing things no different from anyone else, leading to a lack of respect from the team, and at the slightest sign of trouble, you could be replaced by the higher-ups.

Ye Jun was not only able to become Liu Longtao's deputy leader but also served for a long time, which isn't something just anyone could do—actually, in Yan Yu's opinion, her abilities were really strong, just overshadowed by Liu Longtao.

"Who are you?" Although he recognized her at a glance, to avoid arousing suspicion, Yan Yu casually asked.

"I'm Ye Jun," the girl extended her hand generously, "a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, same batch as you."

"Oh, hello." Yan Yu casually shook her hand, "What can I do for you?"

"It's like this." Ye Jun flashed an enthusiastic smile and said straightforwardly, "Last night, you had dinner with Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army and others, right? Liu Longtao discussed it with me, and as the hosts for this event, we, the cultivators from the Dingbei Army, definitely can't lack courtesy and be outdone by them.

If you and Chen Lingyun are free tonight, you're welcome to join us for a meal. We'd like to invite you to an old restaurant here in Shengjing for a feast, a chance for everyone to get acquainted and make friends."

Just an invitation for dinner doesn't seem like a problem, considering I've been getting meal invites these past few days anyway. But why are you the one coming to me?

So at this point in time, you're already in cahoots with Liu Longtao and starting to work as his underling?

Yan Yu said leisurely:

"There is a reception tonight hosted by the Dingbei Army."

"Ya, no worries! For us cultivators, the reception is optional, really." Ye Jun's smile was bright and genuine as she spoke, "Besides, at the formal military receptions, there's toasting and heavy drinking, which I find quite dull."

This actually reminded Yan Yu. At military reception banquets, especially the Dingbei Army and Pingxi Army's drinking rules, the toasting gets exaggerated—almost as if not getting you utterly drunk would mean they haven't shown off their prowess.

Compared to that, having a meal out with young people would clearly be much more relaxing. Considering that he would be in the company of "Lord Master" Liu Longtao and "Princess" Chen Lingyun, watching the two of them banter at the dinner table...

It seemed like it could be interesting?

"As long as you're willing to come, I'll go invite Chen Lingyun," Ye Jun quickly seized the opportunity, pulling out her phone while speaking earnestly, "Oh, let's add each other as friends? It would be good for keeping in touch in the future."