Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Everything I Said Is True

Saturday morning.

A secret flight took off from Jinling Zhendong Airport, bound for Shengjing Airport.

The composition of the passengers on the flight was somewhat complex, including instructors and students from Zhendong College, high-level officials of the Zhendong Army, and several elite military cultivators responsible for protecting these high-level officials. Yan Yu looked around for a while, and aside from Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, he actually couldn't see any familiar faces.

The two girls had taken seats towards the back. To be precise, Chen Lingyun had forcibly pulled Zhao Yuanzhen to sit together, probably planning to chat for fun during the journey.

If it had been anyone else acting this way, Yan Yu would have inevitably advised them "Don't play with fire."

Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress was temporarily bluffed by him, if she were truly provoked to unleash her vicious nature, the cultivators on this entire plane probably wouldn't be enough to satisfy her killing spree.

But Chen Lingyun... This worthless woman was skilled at reading people and knew where to draw the line, so she probably wouldn't give Zhao Yuanzhen any chance to turn against her.

Yan Yu from his past life had a deep understanding of this. Whenever he was so irate that he was about to lose control and strike her, his anger never reached the level needed to explode— the worthless woman excelled at hovering near your breaking point, stopping just as you were about to lose it, demonstrating her powerful grasp on the human heart behind her seemingly effortless poise.

It's better to sit further away, to avoid bothering me.

Yan Yu absentmindedly played with his phone while a strange old man suddenly took the seat beside him.

The man had a full head of white hair but appeared vigorous and energetic, dressed in a thick, dark green jacket, holding in his hand a thick collection of research papers that he was reading.

Yan Yu naturally recognized this person: the current Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army, General Li Weiguo.

Glancing at the title on the cover of the papers in his hand, it appeared to be research on a special medicinal drug used by cultivators.

"Old Li?" someone called out to him from the back.

The old man raised his arm and waved for a moment, signifying "I'm here" to those behind him, then turned his head to look at Yan Yu, who was staring at the research paper in his hand, and asked:

"Do you understand this?"

"Somewhat," Yan Yu answered.

"Then take a look too," Li Weiguo handed the collection of papers to him.

Without hesitation, Yan Yu took the papers and started flipping through them.

The main content of the paper was indeed "using medicinal drugs to speed up the pace of cultivation," and it detailed two possible development paths:

One is the modern pharmaceutical industry, which has already identified more than 300 chemical molecular formulas that react with Spiritual Energy, and the other is the ancient alchemy process, which judging by the recipe should have been provided by Mei Yingxue.

Yan Yu glanced at it and quickly confirmed that the formula was indeed the Foundation Establishment Pill of the future.

Due to the inability to decipher mystical pill recipes with pharmaceutical technology, the maximum production of such Foundation Establishment Pills in the future would also be about 1500 per month, whereas the number of cultivators in the country had already reached several hundred thousand by then... An absolute case of more monks than porridge.

This was also why Yan Yu had initially strived to join the Zhendong College of Cultivators by taking the college entrance exam and verifying his bloodline:

Because official cultivators, especially the first batch of college student cultivators, received the most cultivation resources per capita.

As the second and third batches of cultivators entered school, and the total number of cultivators kept increasing, without an increase in the production of Foundation Establishment Pills, the per capita supply had to be cut down.

Internationally, facing military pressures from other countries, and considering that the first batch of cultivators were the strongest, it was essential to prioritize their resource supplies to ensure the leading position of high-end forces on the international stage.

The result was that the first batch of college student cultivators were far ahead of their younger colleagues in strength, which laid the groundwork for future changes in the situation...

"How is it?" Li Weiguo, sitting beside him, asked out loud, interrupting Yan Yu's thoughts, "What do you think about the pathways mentioned in this paper, which one seems more feasible?"

"Alchemy," Yan Yu said.

"What, you don't have faith in our current pharmaceutical technology?" Li Weiguo asked in surprise.

"Purely from a theoretical standpoint, modern pharmaceutical technology has ten thousand advantages that can overwhelmingly crush ancient alchemy," Yan Yu replied calmly, "Its processes and principles are clear, production capacity is easy to increase, and opportunities for improvement and enhancement exist...

I can only say, if modern pharmaceutical technology was really confirmed to be effective, ancient alchemy wouldn't even appear in this paper."

"Hmm," Li Weiguo neither agreed nor disagreed, "Continue."

"There's not much else to say," Yan Yu returned the paper to him, "The process of ancient alchemy is vague and unclear, unsuitable for industrial production, and improvements are even more out of the question; there are simply too many disadvantages."

"The only reason it appears in this paper is because it has been proven to be useful, whereas modern pharmaceuticals have not been proven effective."

"If it were up to me to decide where to invest money right now, it would definitely be in ancient alchemy."

"But as you also said," Li Weiguo picked up the paper and said, "The process of ancient alchemy is completely beyond our comprehension at present, let alone increasing production capacity and making enhancements."

"If modern pharmaceuticals could be made viable, their advantages in various aspects are beyond what ancient alchemy can compare with."

"So, we can only gamble here." Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "I bet that in the limited future, modern pharmaceutical technology wouldn't break through, and we will mainly rely on ancient alchemy."

Anyway, no matter what I say, in the end, the higher-ups will definitely adopt a two-pronged approach. So, it's harmless to boast a little about my predictive abilities to this old man.

Li Weiguo nodded silently, sealed the paper into the briefcase beside him, and suddenly changed the topic:

"Chen Lingyun, that young girl, she told you about the objective of this trip, didn't she?"

"She did," Yan Yu did not deny.

"The military speaks with strength alone," said Li Weiguo, not beating around the bush but stating directly and firmly, "The establishment of the Zhendong, Dingbei, Pingxi, and Annan armies is to meet the needs of national defense. Brothers of one heart can defend against the enemy together, yet competitions among the brothers themselves also exist—they must establish who is the strongest.

Otherwise, you can't even raise your voice in this big family."

"Yan Yu, this time you are not only representing the cultivators of Zhendong College but also our Zhendong Army. When you go to Shengjing to participate in the exchange competition, you must show not just style but also skill, and you cannot disgrace our Zhendong Army."

"Of course," Yan Yu responded.

"Are you confident?" Li Weiguo raised his eyebrows and asked.

The kid didn't respond with "I will do my best" or "I guarantee to complete the mission," but with "Of course," as if victory was already in his grasp. He's a bit arrogant.

"Confident," Yan Yu said, still looking unfazed.

"You won't lose?" Li Weiguo sought confirmation again.

"I won't."

"Do you know who your opponents are?" Li Weiguo chuckled.

It's normal for young men to be sharp and aggressive; he wasn't really angry, just continuing to probe the youth's thoughts.

"Chen Lingyun has told me," Yan Yu nodded.

"Your first match is against Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army; in the second match, you'll be up against Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army," explained Li Weiguo slowly, his voice growing more powerful, "You must win these two matches. In the third match, when you face Liu Longtao from the Dingbei Army, you must give it your all."

"Give it your all in the third match" implies that "it's okay if you really can't beat Liu Longtao, just perform up to your ability and don't disgrace yourself."

Yan Yu was slightly silent for a moment before he said:

"This is a bit difficult, but I'll try my best."

"Didn't you just say you were confident?" Li Weiguo immediately laughed.

He was all confident just a moment ago; why did he waver upon hearing he needed to win the first two matches?

"Securing victory is easy," Yan Yu calmly explained, "But to give it my all, that's a bit difficult. Liu Longtao might not be able to withstand it. Plus, injuries or casualties are not allowed in the exchange competition, right?"

Li Weiguo paused for a long time, then burst into laughter:

"There will be True Yuan suppression bracelets, and there will also be military cultivators supervising. Just give it your all."

"Since you've already spoken so boldly, if you underperform in the heat of the moment and disgrace our Zhendong Army, I will have to hold you accountable when you return. Can you accept that?"

"Sure," Yan Yu said without further words, nodding in agreement.

"Very good," Li Weiguo said, satisfied.

He had given him a way out, but he refused to take it, insisting on making a military pledge. Now, it was time to see if he truly had the ability.

If he really lost to Liu Longtao later, it would be a good opportunity to temper his pride.

It's not frightening for young people to make mistakes; what's frightening is not having the opportunity to correct them. The exchange competition is an excellent opportunity for that.

Although the bigwigs will all be present to watch the games, and thus the staff below take the competition very seriously, Li Weiguo, who holds the position of General Commander of the Zhendong Army, obviously wouldn't have such a narrow view.

With Mei Yingxue's help, the higher-ups have already come to understand the terrifying potential of cultivators in warfare.

The future of Zhendong Army isn't hinged on the outcome of this small competition, but rather on Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

As long as these two promising individuals aren't spoiled, the farther they can go, the longer the path of Zhendong Army will extend.