Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Her action of tossing her hair was truly enchanting, to the point that even Yan Yu was momentarily stunned. However, his will was resolute, and he quickly regained his composure, waving his hand as he spoke,

"No need, she's on the same team as me, and it's convenient for her to cook for me every day. Are you going to come and cook for me every day? Haha, even if Lord Master agrees, the Dingbei Army would never allow it."

Ye Jun immediately fell silent, feeling somewhat uncomfortable deep inside.

Although she knew that Yan Yu was only stating the harsh truth, who could feel happy when being pointed out as "an outsider"?

Lin Ning dried her hands and came out of the kitchen, startled for a moment when she saw Ye Jun, but she quickly recovered.

Stay calm, first calm down!

Ye Jun was only partnering with the team captain for this mission. If I show hostility because of this, it would not only be baffling, but the captain might also think I'm petty, or even disrespect me because of it.

Lin Ning quickly suppressed the subtle emotions in her heart and began to chat with Ye Jun in a cheerful tone,

"Ye Jun, I came here to ask the captain about the training plans for what follows. Normally, you don't need to mind me."

"That won't do," Ye Jun said with a smile. "With such a capable Sword Immortal like you here, how can we not make full use of you?"

"Oh, I'm not up to your level," Lin Ning modestly waved her hands and said, "Let's not talk about the captain's strength. Your Xuan Guang Ruler is irreplaceable on the battlefield. I'm just here to carefully observe and learn."

Ye Jun inwardly sneered, thinking, Are you mocking me by saying "without the Xuan Guang Ruler, I'm nothing"?

She kept a straight face and replied with a smile,

"My Xuan Guang Ruler is only effective for defense. When it comes to offense, only you can assist Yan Yu."

This comment made Lin Ning feel a bit uncomfortable because she knew her own situation well: where does the captain need help from someone else? Given that the members of the Zhenhai Team could not keep up with the captain's combat pace—an open secret—it was reasonable for her to think that Ye Jun was purposely mocking her by implying, "I and Yan Yu can attack and defend, what about you?"

Oh no, I'm getting angry!

The two girls looked at each other, smiling, but sparks seemed to fly where their gazes met.

Yan Yu watched calmly from the side, thinking, You're both like this; why not just settle it with a fight?

Come on, challenge each other, fight, what are you milling around for? If we go to the training field now, I can even referee for you.

He lazily said,

"Stop with the polite talk, you two! Why not find a place to test out who can really assist me by comparing your strengths? Wouldn't everything become clear then?"

Upon hearing this, the two girls thought, Not a bad idea. It's been a long time since we last met; maybe we've both improved in strength, and Yan Yu surely values this the most, right?

Feeling somewhat annoyed herself, she decided to take this competition as an opportunity to really see what confidence the other had to challenge her!

——————————

Since the Dingbei Headquarters didn't have an underground training area, the three of them found a random spot outdoors to begin their magical duel.

As organizers of a cultivators' contest, hosting an internal match as a prelude to the main event was quite normal, right?

Team monks didn't have the need for fame and fortune like freelance cultivators, so they skipped the formalities of introducing themselves. Once Yan Yu gave the signal, they started fighting right away!

After advancing to the Hua Mansion Stage, Lin Ning's overall strength had increased significantly. Her Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was ghost-like as she tossed Ye Jun's spirit light Glazed Fire behind her.

She also deployed the Two-handed Sword Control Technique, attacking Ye Jun relentlessly with the Green Bamboo Sword and the Crimson Flame Sword on either side.

Ye Jun, whose cultivation was still at the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and whose offensive capabilities were far inferior to Lin Ning's, quickly found herself at a disadvantage, forced to purely defend herself with the Xuan Guang Ruler.

The Xuan Guang Ruler, a magic treasure that had caught the attention of the Dingbei Army and even solidified Ye Jun's role as a dedicated defender, proved its extraordinary usefulness—it managed to withstand attacks from a Hua Mansion Stage cultivator, although it would shatter after resisting a blow or two. But Ye Jun, who had mastered its use to perfection, could reinvigorate the artifact to reinforce her defense before the next attack arrived.

Yan Yu, observing from the sidelines with a bag of chips in hand, thought to himself that Ningning's Dual Sword Control Technique was still somewhat immature.

If only her offensive rhythm were tighter, not giving Ye Jun a chance to restore her Xuan Guang Ruler's defense, this contest would have been decided long ago.

Ah, Little Ningning, overpowering the weak yet still unable to defeat Ye Jun, how laughable!

While he watched leisurely, he whispered to Ye Jun,

"You can't just focus on defending; you need to find opportunities to counterattack, put some pressure back on her."

"How do I do that?" Ye Jun thought. Lin has already advanced to the Hua Mansion Stage, and even my defense is stretched to its limits, how can I possibly counterattack?

"Just spray your Glazed Fire everywhere, make it impossible for her to see your position, and that'll do it," Yan Yu advised, "Since you can only defend, might as well go all out. Spread the fire far and wide, push her beyond the range of her Divine Sense."

Ye Jun immediately hesitated.

Using the Xuan Guang Ruler to defend fully, if Lin Ning slipped up, I might still have a chance to turn defeat into victory; but if I create a barrier with the spirit light Glazed Fire, I won't be able to see her and she won't be able to hit me, forcing a stalemate.