Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"So, you've learned them all?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked incredulously.

"Merely the Three Arts and Five Spells, how much effort could it take?" Yan Yu said with a scornful expression, "Isn't it something one can grasp after hearing it once? Or are you saying it took you a long time back when you learned?"

"I... it didn't take me long either," Zhao Yuanzhen said, forcing herself to speak, "The time it took me to learn the Three Arts and Five Spells was about the same as yours."

This was a lie, in truth, for example, the "Barrier Charm" among the Five Spells had taken her two full days and nights to learn.

"Right," Zhao Yuanzhen ventured again, "The honorable teacher said that with the current world's concentration of Spiritual Energy, the Three Arts and Five Spells are the most cost-effective Taoism Method, right?"

"Then when will there be any change?"

"Probably in a year," Yan Yu glanced at her with a sideways look, "What, you can't wait?"

"True Yuan recovery is too slow, only able to use the Three Arts and Five Spells, it inevitably feels somewhat unsafe," Zhao Yuanzhen said ingratiatingly, "If we encounter a major demon, I'm afraid we won't even have the strength to fight back."

"In a world where Spiritual Energy only supports the Three Arts and Five Spells, what kind of major demon can emerge?" Yan Yu said with a sneer, "The current wildlife doesn't even have sentient intelligence."

"You worry too much. Even if the limit of Spiritual Energy increases, and True Yuan recovery speeds up, it will be Mei Yingxue who regains more strength… Now, won't you hurry to bed with me for dual cultivation?"

"Alright," Zhao Yuanzhen got up from the sofa and hid those secret, unspeakable thoughts deep within her heart.

Continue to cater to him for now, dulling this little thief's alertness. When the time comes, all the humiliations I have suffered in the past, I will make him kneel and taste each one!

No, tenfold!

————————

Another night passed.

The next day, Yan Yu went to school as usual to continue practicing for the college entrance exam.

If sleep was about recovery of body and mind, then cultivation was the "charging" of body and mind.

After sitting in meditation and practicing Qi Refinement with Zhao Yuanzhen for an entire night, not only did Yan Yu not feel the slightest bit tired, but he also felt spirited and full of vitality, as if he had slept a full twelve hours.

Unfortunately, the daily life of a high school senior day student was too dull, especially since he already knew he wouldn't be taking the college entrance exams, making these practice papers seem even more pointless—it was only to avoid attracting attention.

As usual, having completed the test papers first, Yan Yu went out to the corridor, idly gazing at the distant scenery.

"Yan Yu," the crisp voice of Chen Lingyun, filled with a hint of laughter, sounded next to him.

Yan Yu turned his head with a "why is it you again" look of annoyance and saw this petite girl who stood at 1.56 meters tall, her face bearing a sweet smile as if not at all upset about being tricked the day before.

"I had people check the name 'Sun Ziyi,'" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I found it belongs to some first-year student, and also a girl."

"The reason why I used a fake name," Yan Yu started).

Chen Lingyun politely closed her mouth, signaling "I'm all ears."

"Is because I didn't want to tell you my real name," Yan Yu said seriously.

"I see," Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, continuing to smile, "But if it's something I'm interested in, I must find out the truth."

"Now you have already found out my name," Yan Yu nodded, "Are you satisfied?"

"Not yet," Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming as she looked at him, "I have a premonition."

"What premonition?" Not to mention her premonition, Yan Yu—who was very familiar with her from his past life—already began to have a bad feeling.

"I think you recognize me," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "My first impression of you was: this person seems to know me, but he's deliberately pretending not to."

"The process of leading the way later confirmed this: you treated me coldly and even used a fake name, but according to your classmates, student Yan Yu isn't the indifferent, reclusive, or deliberately asocial type. This means you started acting distant only after recognizing me."

"First of all, I think it's pretty unreliable to judge based on intuition," Yan Yu said somewhat helplessly, "Do you also rely on intuition to solve your Olympiad math problems?"

"Furthermore, even if we had met before, so what? Do I have something valuable on me that would make you intentionally approach me?"

"About your first point," Chen Lingyun's smile remained standard, showing exactly eight teeth but it seemed to contain a hint of genuine pleasure, "I don't need absolutely reliable intuition. A completely solved Olympiad problem is boring, only the puzzles without answers hold the meaning of exploration."

"As for the second point, I've already said it before."

Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then he immediately realized she was referring to her earlier words, "If it's something I'm interested in, I have to figure it out."

"See." Seeing the subtle change in his expression, Chen Lingyun smiled even more joyfully, "You can swiftly understand the subtext in my words, which is not something ordinary people can do. I can think of two possibilities: one is that you and I are of the same kind, with similar levels of intelligence and thought patterns, but I've looked into your previous grades a bit, and that seems unlikely."

"The second possibility is that you not only recognized me long ago but also spent a lot of time with me, so we developed a certain rapport."

"However, I can be sure that I've never seen you before, nor have I encountered anyone with a similar personality to you, and there's no possibility of an old friend suddenly disappearing and getting plastic surgery. So why do you seem so... familiar with me?" she slowly leaned in, staring into Yan Yu's eyes, her delicate and pretty face sporting a radiant fake smile.

Yan Yu felt a bit irritated: This damn woman!

Why's your curiosity so strong!

But what was even clearer in Yan Yu's mind was that he had indeed piqued Chen Lingyun's interest. Any further disguise or argument would only amuse her more—this damn woman was a purebred thrill-seeker, treating those around her like toys, never following her train of thought.

Heh, since you're asking for trouble, I might as well play along.

"Alright, I admit it." Yan Yu put on an "I might as well confess" look, and said helplessly, "Believe it or not, I actually... am your future husband."

"Oh?" Chen Lingyun's mouth curled up, not at all angered by the conversational advantage taken, "So you're a reborn person who's traveled back to the past? Or did you see the future from somewhere?"

"That's not important," Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, "What matters is that right now, you're thinking, 'He must be lying to me', 'because the decision of my marriage lies in my father's hands', 'and I have no value that would appeal to my father'."

"Hmm, that's logical," Chen Lingyun said with a smile and a nod, "But even if you can guess my current thoughts, it's not enough to convince me with that."

"Then let's talk about something only you know." Yan Yu looked around to make sure there was no one else, then lowered his voice, "When you were six years old, you once took in a stray cat—in the small garden behind your family's villa."

"It took you half a month to fully master the cat's behavior patterns, including when it ate, when it slept, and when it sought affection. Afterward, you completely lost interest in it and left the cat to the care of your maid. A week later, the cat ran away and never came back."

"Your father comforted you, and you said with a smile to let it go because you didn't really want to keep it anymore. But actually, you were very angry, you never told anyone that it was the first time you felt unsettled inside because you couldn't accept the cat choosing to leave you—their owner—even though it was you who neglected it first. You decided to hold this grudge for a lifetime."

Chen Lingyun's smile stiffened on her face, her eyelids dropped slightly, her gaze became slightly obscure, but her gentle tone remained unchanged as she smiled and said:

"Very interesting... Hmm, I'm sure I've never told anyone the real thoughts deep inside my heart at that time, so, could you tell me more about how we met and fell in love in the future? I'm quite interested in that."

"Are you interested in that?" Yan Yu revealed a pleased smile, "That's great, because I don't intend to tell you."

"What?" Chen Lingyun widened her eyes, surprised and laughing, "Aren't you my future husband?"

"That's right," Yan Yu said, his smile equally gentle, "But in this lifetime, I have no intention of being with you."

"Just like that cat: You've been dumped by me, little Lingyun."

Chen Lingyun's fake smile quickly faded from her face, leaving only a dark, cold, and slightly angry look, staring at him without blinking.

"Oh yes, that's right!" Yan Yu grew more joyful, clapping his hands and exclaiming with praise, "That expression of yours is my favorite! You know, little Lingyun, I also really like your usual condescending, polite fake smile, as if everyone is an idiot to you, but what I like even more is this moment when you can't maintain your smile and you completely lose it!"

"Hahaha! It's just so endlessly amusing to me!"