Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Li Zhaojiang was carried off the field by the rushed Annan Army medical team, and his sister, Li Minghu, hurried over anxiously to confirm his condition.

Accompanying him to the infirmary, she then confirmed that her brother had not suffered much injury, and even had lighter wounds than Liu Longtao from the previous match.

The reason was self-evident; it was just that someone had deliberately gone easy and hadn't used their full True Yuan.

No need to mention the earlier Curved Curse Punch; if the later power-accumulating Impact Curse was really unleashed with full strength, even with the effects of the suppression bracelets, it would have been enough to knock him down right there and then.

"I'm fine!" Li Zhaojiang struggled to get up, yelling angrily at the medical staff, "What were you rushing in for? I could still fight!"

"Ah Jiang!" Li Minghu also rarely got angry, "He was going easy on you! Don't you see that?"

"I didn't ask him to go easy!" Li Zhaojiang was still stubborn.

"So you would rather be knocked out as soon as you entered the match, is that it?" Li Minghu asked sharply.

Li Zhaojiang was at a loss for words. As a representative of the Annan Army, even if he was defeated, he could not lose too much face, because it was the face of the entire Annan Army that was at stake.

"Don't be so stubborn," Li Minghu said, seeing his silence, then softened her tone, "That Yan Yu from Zhendong Army, he's clearly much stronger than you. The reason he went easy was that he didn't want you to lose too quickly, to avoid embarrassment in front of the big shots. This is a favor, and we must acknowledge it. Find time tonight, and come with me to invite him for a meal as thanks."

Li Zhaojiang wanted to cry but had no tears; after a long while, he said:

"Then... then there's no need to trouble you, sister. Can't I just invite him myself?"

"Can you even speak properly?" Li Minghu said irritably, "Without me there to watch, you're bound to turn a meal invitation into a grudge. I will do the talking; you just keep your mouth shut and only speak when I tell you to."

Li Zhaojiang was utterly defeated, thinking if he had known this would result in his sister inviting him for a meal, he would have been better off being knocked out right from the start!

I'm filled with regret, hatred, and heartache!

Seeing her brother's unwilling face, Li Minghu could only sigh with helplessness in her heart.

As a representative of the Zhendong Army, Yan Yu had no obligation nor need to hold back in combat.

Since the other party had deliberately shown kindness, presumably with the intentions of making connections, it was best to respond promptly, to avoid missing this rare opportunity to bond with a peer elite.

After all, with the other party's strength, it was only a matter of time before they made a big name for themselves within the military.

——————

The first day's competitions had ended. Due to the complex injuries of Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu, the treatment took longer, and the next round of competition had to wait until tomorrow.

There were two options for dinner. One was to dine in the cafeteria at Dingbei Cultivator Academy, which was said to be quite tasty but served terrifying portions, with bowls large enough to bury one's entire head in.

The other option was to eat out, but that expense would not be reimbursed.

After being checked by the Zhendong Army medical team and ensuring there were no hidden injuries, Yan Yu stepped out of the infirmary to find Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang waiting for him outside.

"Invite me for a meal?" Yan Yu asked in surprise after hearing Li Minghu's purpose.

In his past life, he had not heard of the Valkyrie being so sociable. What, just because I held back a bit in the match, she's taking this opportunity to connect?

"Yes," Li Minghu smiled sweetly, slightly bowing her head in salute, "My brother has been under your care this time. Compared to Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao, he's barely hurt at all, and we have to thank you for your mercy."

"It's nothing," Yan Yu casually waved his hand, "It's because he's strong enough. Otherwise, even if I held back, it would have been to no avail."

Li Zhaojiang's face, already hard to look at, darkened even more after hearing this. He found Yan Yu increasingly annoying to look at. Not until Li Minghu elbowed him, did he reluctantly put on a smile and drawled:

"Tha-thanks a lot—"

"Speak Mandarin!" Li Minghu scolded sharply, "Be serious!"

"Sorry for the trouble this time." Li Zhaojiang said with a stiff smile, "Thanks for your mercy."

"No trouble, no trouble," Yan Yu, unable to restrain a laugh as he watched Li Minghu scold her brother like a child, kept waving his hand, "No need for a treat, but we can have dinner together; I'll just let my friends know."

The reason he agreed to have dinner with the sibling duo was, first, to familiarize himself with the future Valkyrie's face, and secondly, because he had been constantly mixing with despicable women, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having to be cautious around the former and wary of the latter, Yan Yu was truly exhausted in both mind and spirit.

It was time to spend some time with a normal woman...

He sent a message to the two ladies on his phone and then left with the siblings from the Li Family.

On the other side, Chen Lingyun received the message and raised an eyebrow slightly. Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was grinding her teeth in frustration, certain that this was another instance of Yan Yu going for a feast without her, and she made a mental note:

"This evening, the little thief attends a banquet and refuses to take me with him, I'll remember this grudge. When the day comes for me to be in charge, I'll lock him deep in the cave residence, making him watch me dine out every day, and let him taste this unbearable hunger and thirst!"

In her fantasy, she imagined all sorts of ways to torment Yan Yu until he cried and begged for mercy on his knees, which finally brought her satisfaction.

Considering she was already practicing fasting, she thought she might as well skip dinner tonight, but then another thought struck her: I'm here alone, dining on wind and sipping on dew while that thief is out there enjoying delicacies. Is that fair?

The more Zhao Yuanzhen thought about it, the angrier she became, and she decided not to return to the hotel but to check out the academy's cafeteria first.

Speaking of Yan Yu and the Li siblings, they found a Cantonese restaurant outside and ordered some dishes before starting to chat leisurely.

Just as Li Minghu had expected, Yan Yu wasn't the type that enjoyed making friends. If Li Zhaojiang were the one to invite him to dinner, probably the two men would just sit there, eat quietly, cover their own bill, and then leave without much ado.

The reason she brought her brother over was to act as a lubricant of sorts, trying to foster a relationship between them as much as possible.

"Looking at the upcoming schedule, Yan Yu, you are matched against Zhou Hongyu of Pingxi Army tomorrow, right?" Li Minghu asked with a smile.

This girl had thick, slightly curly hair and fair, smooth skin. Her beauty was both striking and durable, somewhat reminiscent of the movie version of the "Purple Cloud Fairy". Unfortunately, because of her poor health, she spoke in a soft and gentle voice, and her smile was frail and delicate, presenting an image of a "fragile elder sister", difficult to associate with a "Valkyrie".

"Yes," Yan Yu nodded and said, "Your brother is facing Liu Longtao."

Li Zhaojiang was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing that he would be up against Lord Master tomorrow, his expression turned even grimmer as he continued to eat his shrimp dumplings in silence.

Damn it! Just a bunch of yokels; I could eat them alive! he thought as he chomped down fiercely.

"It's alright," Li Minghu said with a smile, "Just do your best and show your style."

"For your information, I'm not necessarily going to lose," Li Zhaojiang couldn't help but retort.

Li Minghu was about to say something mildly humorous, but her complexion changed slightly, and she began to cough softly into a handkerchief.

"Speaking of which," Yan Yu stroked his chin and asked, "what's wrong with you?"

"I don't know," Li Minghu replied with a wry smile, "I was born with it. I've been to many hospitals, but they can't diagnose it."

"We've tried blood tests, CT scans, MRI..." Saying this, Li Zhaojiang couldn't stay angry as he spoke in a low voice about his sister's illness, "Experts from the medical university at Xingwang Mansion said that it's an unseen gene disease, a congenital problem with the development of lung airways, so there is currently no effective cure, only conservative treatment and gradual health management."

"They even mentioned applying to the International Health Organization to name the disease after me," Li Minghu said, waving it off with a smile, "But really, it's nothing much. I just cough frequently and can't do strenuous exercise, that's all."

Yan Yu watched her in silence.

In the scientific world, diseases that were incurable might not be so in the Cultivation World. Yan Yu even knew secret methods to rebuild the body, though at the current moment, there was no chance to acquire them.

Actually, Li Minghu's illness was not so dire. Just as she said, as long as she didn't overexercise, she could indeed live a long life, long enough for the secret methods to rebuild the body to emerge in the world.

However, the problem was that as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the strength of the unofficial cultivators in the countries to the south of Lu Country, meaning the Indochinese Peninsula countries, was increasing too rapidly.

Cultivating cultivators wasn't like producing airplanes, aircraft carriers, or nuclear bombs, which require "advanced scientific research", "strong industrial power", and "wide-reaching national education". Its minimum requirement was just one person with the aptitude for cultivation and a method for practicing it.

Due to the lack of Lu Country's grassroots control abilities, many countries on the Indochinese Peninsula simply followed Mitchi Country's approach by openly sharing cultivation methods at the societal level, "a practice for every person".

The result was an explosive increase in the number of unregulated cultivators, which led to large-scale disintegration of domestic order and, concurrently, a dramatic increase in border defense pressure on Lu Country's southern borders.

Li Minghu, as a cultivator of the Annan Army, was often compelled to fight the enemy on the frontline due to short staffing.

As her formidable abilities became apparent, the Annan Army command quickly developed a mindset, whenever they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, their first thought was to deploy Li Minghu.

Until she collapsed from exhaustion.

Military service, protecting one's country, is a bounden duty. You couldn't possibly persuade Li Minghu to actively avoid combat out of fear – that was certainly out of the question.

At present, the best Yan Yu could think of was to lend a hand to the Annan Army when they were struggling, to prevent the Valkyrie from being worn down by the endless trivial foes of the Southern Border—spoiling a gem in the dirt, contaminating a spiritual fungus, would be truly regrettable.

After pondering for a moment, he took out his phone and said:

"Should we add each other as friends?"

"Sure," Li Minghu replied with a smile, while Li Zhaojiang immediately became alert beside her.

What's the deal?! Dining with you isn't enough, and now you want to keep chatting privately once we're back!