Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

No matter how gently Su's mother tried to persuade her, or how fiercely she tried to scare her, Su Yunjin always remained calm and gentle, repeating the same arguments over and over again.

"It's impossible for me to quit, I'm the main force of the team! Without me, the team would fall apart."

"Dangerous? There won't be any danger, I'm the main force of the team! How could I be the main force without some real ability?"

"Mom, Dad, I know you're worried about me, but you should actually be proud of me instead."

"Because I'm the main force of the team!"

Su's mother exhausted all her wits, patiently and carefully trying to persuade her, but who would have thought that her daughter, who had never been rebellious from childhood to now, was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, forcing her to give her husband a look that said, "Are you just going to watch our daughter contradict me like this?"

Su's father had been quietly observing and listening on the side, and he couldn't help but feel emotional too.

From childhood to adulthood, in front of parents, relatives, or teachers, Su Yunjin was always the super obedient "good girl."

She loved reading, but never demanded her parents to buy her books. She liked clothes, jewelry, makeup too, but similarly, she rarely went shopping on her initiative. In daily life, she only looked up to her parents, going to whatever school they asked, studying liberal arts if they said so, never questioning anything.

Of course, this acquiescent character was not very good either, and at one point, it had seriously worried Su's father.

Now, seeing his daughter finally start to have her own opinions, Su's father felt a sense of relief on one hand, but on the other, he was more curious about what had changed her.

Then, Su's father noticed some details:

Every time Su Yunjin said, "I'm the main force of the team," her gaze would unconsciously dart quickly toward Yan Yu at her side.

Su's father pondered for a good while, then a smile of understanding appeared on his face.

After all... Yunjin has grown up.

Perhaps it's time to trust her judgment of people.

"Let it be," Su's father indicated to Su's mother with his eyes, "Stop interfering so much, our daughter isn't a little child anymore, you need to respect her opinion."

"This isn't a matter of opinion," Su's mother, who hadn't noticed her daughter's subtle actions or her husband's hints, insisted, "Yunjin, you are my only daughter in this lifetime, what am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

Su Yunjin, a girl with careful thoughts, feeling a twinge of heartache upon hearing her mother's emotive words almost crumbling into tears, wondered if it was right for her to lightly engage in dangers, causing her parents worry.

But she quickly remembered another matter.

In an era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Cultivators' powers would only grow stronger, while ordinary people couldn't keep up, and this was definitely going to cause problems.

That village in Longquan Prefecture, an old man who accidentally entered the path of cultivation could wield the power to slaughter the entire village. What if the next illegal Cultivator appears in Gusu Prefecture? If they turn up in the neighborhood where Mom and Dad live, wanting to harvest the souls of the innocent to refine Magic Artifacts, what then?

Should I strive to enhance my own strength so I can protect Mom and Dad when the time comes? Or should I heed Mom's advice and try to avoid the frontline, hoping to rely on the captain or other powerful Cultivators to come to the rescue when danger strikes? But what if they can't save us in time, what then?

I'm sorry, Mom. I'm really afraid of death, but I'm even more afraid that when the time comes, nobody will be able to save you.

From the moment I became a Cultivator, I stepped onto this thorny and perilous path with an unknown end.

I won't turn back now.

"Mom." Su Yunjin held the coffee cup, her head bowed as she softly said, "I have made up my mind."

Upon hearing Su Yunjin say this, Su's mother was also stunned and silent, not knowing how to react.

"Yunjin, don't take it to heart," Su's father tried to comfort her, "Your mom is just worried about you. But if you've really made up your mind, we'll all stand by your side."

"Mhmm." Su Yunjin suddenly felt like crying but she held back with all her might.

"By the way, your dad has finally been elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy," Su's father said with a laugh that bragged, "From now on, you can tell your classmates that you have a scholar as a father."

"Really?" Su Yunjin exclaimed with joy.

The Academy of Science, Engineering Academy, Hanlin Academy, collectively known as the three major academies of Lu Country, are the pinnacles of an academic career path. All academicians have a lifetime quota, and the total number is fixed, with vacancies only filled when an old member passes away.

Su's father being elected as a scholar to the Hanlin Academy meant his abilities were definitely more than sufficient, but luck played an unmistakably significant part too.

When her husband's career achievements were mentioned, even Su's mother, still concerned about her daughter's affairs, couldn't help but show a smile.

"So, Dad, you have to treat us to a meal now, right?" Su Yunjin playfully asked.

"Of course, why else would I come to find you?" Su's father said proudly, then turned to Yan Yu beside them, "Yan Yu, is there any good restaurant near your school?"

Su Yunjin suddenly felt something was off. To celebrate Dad's professional success with a family dinner – why ask the captain?

Of course, it was normal to ask since the captain was sitting right there... but still, it felt odd.

Dad! Couldn't you wait until the captain left before mentioning it? It's weird to ask the captain about our own family dinner!

"A restaurant, huh." Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying with sudden high EQ, "I'm not very familiar with that, Yun Jin knows much more about eating out than I do."

Just as Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, ready to recommend a few gourmet spots to Dad, she heard Dad ask with a chuckle:

"Do you two not go out to eat very often?"

As soon as these words were out, Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, Mom was stunned, and Su Yunjin's heart skipped a beat.

Hold on! My dad didn't misunderstand something, did he?

She wanted to clarify quickly, but the words stopped on the tip of her tongue.

Miss Su liked to read, and those who love to read are quick-witted. She quickly realized that the subject "you two" in Dad's sentence could be understood in two ways:

One was referring to a couple, and if that was the case, the question was loaded. The focus was not the answer itself but the assumption behind it. Whether you answer yes or no, you would be confirming the assumption, so you had to correct it directly.

The other was referring to team members. You two are on the same team, so don't you often go out to eat together?

If Dad meant the latter and she rushed to clarify, it would seem pretty dumb, like trying too hard to cover up something.

Su Yunjin quickly thought it through and laughed:

"When it comes to team dinners, we actually do quite..."

Before she could finish, she heard Mom quickly look over at Yan Yu, then turn her gaze back to her daughter and exclaimed with delayed shock:

"Yun Jin, are you dating?!"

Su Yunjin's smile froze on her face.

————————

In the end, Su Yunjin did go out to eat with her parents.

As for how she explained that there was nothing romantic going on between her and her captain, that was her business. Yan Yu chose to trust in Miss Su's wisdom.

After a casual dinner outside, Yan Yu had just returned to the school when he received a call from Qi Changping.

"Hello, is it Old Li looking for me?"

"Yes," Qi Changping said expressionlessly, "but could you please use a different honorific, like addressing him as 'commander'?"

"Sure, I'll head to his office right now."

On his way to the office, Yan Yu silently reflected.

What does the old commander want with me this time?

It surely can't be because he heard about Mom's misunderstanding with her daughter and especially called me over to ridicule me, can it?

No, no, no, he shouldn't be that petty, not like Chen Lingyun! Probably another mysterious realm has appeared.

Upon arriving at the principal's office, Yan Yu didn't wait for Li Weiguo to invite him to sit. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down.

"You sure don't stand on ceremony," said Li Weiguo with a smile, holding his teacup.

"Your time is precious, sir, so I won't waste any of it," Yan Yu asked bluntly, "Which mysterious realm has appeared this time, and do you want me to take my team to claim it?"

"Oh, not that," Li Weiguo put down his teacup. "There have indeed been several mysterious realms appearing recently, but the higher-ups are still confirming the allocation details. They'll notify us when it's settled."

Lately, Lu Country had gained rich experience in dealing with the sudden emergence of mysterious realm entrances.

For large mysterious realms like those in the Wuyi Mountains located in Minhai Province, the main team would be the Zhendong Army Team. Then a guest team from one of the other three armies would be chosen for mock combat drills, jointly vying for control of the critical hub of the realm.

However, for smaller realms like Longquan Mountain, they wouldn't use a two-team competition system anymore. Whichever province it was in would handle it, to prevent the excessive waste of cultivators' manpower.

"However, Liu Longtao's team has been quite active lately," Li Weiguo continued. "Last week they seized three mysterious realms in one fell swoop and defeated Zhou Hongyu's Pingxi Army Team, keeping a perfect winning streak so far."

Three realms in one week? Yan Yu couldn't help but be amazed. Are everyone on the Lord Master's team training for a triathlon or what?

Setting aside everything else, just constantly flying around by plane was tiring enough.

Not to mention the tactical planning before a battle, the contest within the realm, and the debriefing after... Even having five livers wouldn't be enough to handle it all!

"So, what do you think?" asked Li Weiguo with a smile. "Their historical record has already surpassed yours in the number of victories."

"Think about what?" Yan Yu cautiously confirmed, "If you're asking what I think about Liu Longtao, then based on past records, he's my defeated foe; if you're asking about his team, in my current impression, that's a team led by my defeated foe..."

"Alright, enough," Li Weiguo immediately felt a headache coming on.