Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

If we were to rank appearances, there would be an endless array of lists. This is because "what makes a face beautiful" is a matter of personal aesthetics and taste.

In Yan Yu's opinion, Chen Lingyun's face could barely take first place, yet it is not significantly different from others.

Beauty has no definitive rank, but body figure does. After all, the latter can be measured concretely, and subjective elements are not as prevalent as they are when evaluating the former.

The Demonic Sect Enchantress, with her unparalleled talent, deserves the first place; the golden-haired Anna, with her alien blood, can be ranked second. Both are at the T0 level, a realm others can only dream of reaching.

The third place should go to Ye Jun.

Although Xie Ruoxi, Zhou Hongyu, and Li Minghu are not far behind, they are still not on par with her. After all, Sister Ye has the physique to eat an entire basket of buns for breakfast; with such a rich intake, there has to be a place to store it.

Under normal circumstances, to help her break through to the Golden Core Realm, whether from an aesthetic or emotional standpoint, Yan Yu would not allow himself to say no.

But hadn't he just fought three people in succession? Even if his vitality wasn't greatly depleted, he was far from his peak state; another duel would push him to the brink, let alone the need to draw upon his True Yang—he might end up worse than dead afterward.

Yan Yu began to rack his brain, looking for an excuse to delay temporarily.

But who was Ye Jun? Having served in the Dragon Soar Team for two years and being the deputy to someone as domineering as the Lord Master, she naturally had no lack of skill in reading faces. She immediately noticed Yan Yu's reluctance for dual cultivation with her.

Otherwise? I've even taken off my white coat, why aren't you pouncing on me?

She wore a knitted white sweater underneath, the body-hugging type that highlighted her curves, giving her the demeanor of a beautiful and virtuous household wife. Below was a black skirt and stockings, adding the mature charm unique to professional women.

Her outfit was not randomly put together. Ye Jun had full confidence in her fashion sense and her own appearance and body. She had thought winning over Yan Yu was a sure thing, but seeing him like this, she began to waver.

Oh, how could I forget? There are always all sorts of beautiful women around him. Gentle, lively, straightforward, shy... Even though I'm not bad, he may not find me that exceptional after all.

The heavy feeling of inferiority rose from the depths of Ye Jun's heart, and she seemed to hear the mocking hallucination of "you don't deserve it."

Of course, it wasn't Yan Yu's voice but her own.

Ye Jun pressed down her uncomfortable feelings, maintained a calm face, smiled, and said:

"Shall we just forget it? I am kind of hesitant too. It feels inappropriate to do it with such motives."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he could take this opportunity to back off and delay for a few days... Huh?

Although Ye Jun hid it well, being a seasoned warrior, Yan Yu could still read the fleeting sadness and loss in her eyes.

Not to mention, Ye Jun had always been good at enduring. In the Dragon Soar Team, she bore the grunt work; even when she was no longer valuable and got kicked out of the team, she endured it. In her past life, she even became a spokesperson for the Dingbei Army after retiring, demonstrating an unbeatable endurance. If Yan Yu were in her shoes, he would have long exploded on the Northern Army and quit that clerical job!

Seeing her forced smile now, Yan Yu immediately knew she intended to endure again. What's there to endure? If you want dual cultivation, just say it! Girls who aren't proactive and assertive can't find boyfriends!

"Why is it inappropriate?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and asked her.

Ye Jun calmly explained:

"After I got back, I thought about it repeatedly. I am now an Array Master, and I will focus on the path of formations in the future. Whether the Golden Core I form is top-grade, middle-grade, or low-grade, what difference does it make?"

"Moreover, this kind of thing is more appropriate in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. If I give myself away hastily just to aim for a higher Golden Core Rank, how will I explain it to other boyfriends in the future?"

Yan Yu was taken aback upon hearing this:

"Wait, are you considering finding other boyfriends? Didn't you agree at the beginning that I'd help you find a way out of the Dragon Soar Team, and you'd devote yourself to me?"

"Did I say that?" Ye Jun was also shocked.

"You did!" Yan Yu immediately frowned, suspecting, "You want to go back on your word?"

Seeing his serious expression, Ye Jun couldn't remember if she had said something like that before. In her memory, she did seem to often tease him with ambiguous jokes, but the phrase "devote myself"... didn't sound like something she would say.

"Well, let's say I am willing to devote myself." Ye Jun steadied her mind again and continued, "But the premise is that you have to find me worth it."

"Why wouldn't I?" Yan Yu asked in confusion.

Ye Jun felt a slight tremor in her heart, a strong sense of joy began to surge within her chest. She forced down the impulse and tentatively asked:

"What do you find attractive about me?"

"Frankly speaking," Yan Yu said seriously, "mainly your face and body."

"Pfft." Ye Jun was immediately amused by him. "You're so direct? I thought you'd say something else, like..."

She frowned and thought for a moment, then silently realized that apart from her looks and body, she didn't really have any other outstanding qualities. Being outgoing and talkative was true, but there was no shortage of outgoing social butterflies in the world. As for being meticulous in work? Sorry, there were many like that too.

If not for being picked by the Dragon Soar Team to do grunt work, she might not have met Yan Yu at all. The fact that she was chosen back then was purely luck because they needed a cultivator to operate the Xuan Guang Ruler.

Thinking of this, Ye Jun felt a bit dispirited, and her gaze dimmed.

If my only advantage is my good looks, at least...

"Is that enough?" She sighed softly and asked in a low voice.

"Huh?" Yan Yu was stunned.

"Didn't you say you like my face and body?" Ye Jun said calmly as if discussing something very normal, "Then let's do it."

Yan Yu instinctively sensed something off with her state and started to say:

"Ye Jun, you..."

But Ye Jun ignored him and began to lift the hem of her clothes.

——————————

Yan Yu was a person of great steadfast will, never easily captivated by beauty.

What truly moved him was the national duty.

Ye Jun had the talent of an Array Master, certified by Mr. Mei himself. Of course, the main reason was that this field hadn't started to become overly competitive yet; being an Array Master required extensive reading of many classified materials, so only high-ranking cultivators from the four major teams had the qualifications...

In short, Ye Jun was indeed extremely important to Lu Country. This means, regardless of whether it's about helping her form a better Golden Core or resolving her inexplicable sense of inferiority, now was not the time for Yan Yu to say anything to refuse her.

Even if I'm not at my peak, with some vitality already lost, to help her rebuild her confidence, adding another great asset to Lu Country, I must give it my all!

For the nation and the people, what does it matter if I lose my life!

Of course, before officially operating the secret technique and being drained of vitality, Yan Yu could still hop around like a locust in autumn for a while.

If Tang Xiaolian loved to shout at random times, then Ye Jun was the exact opposite, almost making no sound at all throughout the process, maintaining a steady and even breathing rate like a marathon runner merely running 1000 meters, making Yan Yu momentarily think she was highly experienced in such matters.

Am I unable to satisfy Lady Ye Jun?

Upon closer observation, seeing her tensed muscles, nervous gaze, and two soft hands tightly clenched into fists with nowhere to place them, it was clear she was indeed a novice.

Zhao Yuanzhen was the proactive type, doing exactly what you didn't want him to do; Xie Ruoxi was the completely passive type, doing nothing until commanded, often falling asleep while lying down.

Ye Jun, however, was a combination of both: She lacked initiative, doing whatever was asked, but not to the point of complete indifference, always executing the tasks given perfectly, as long as she's not told to stop, providing incredible cooperation, almost as if...

The perfect deputy?

Yan Yu suddenly realized that this was the perfect state of a team deputy! Without an overabundance of self-awareness, she wouldn't intentionally mess around or create trouble (yes, I'm talking about you, Chen Lingyun); yet, she could perfectly execute any command better than anyone else.

Damn, why couldn't Ye Jun be the deputy of my Zhenhai Team! If the team hadn't disbanded, I would have swapped Chen Lingyun with her in a heartbeat!

I, Yan Yu, with grand aspirations, need a perfect execution deputy like Ye Jun! As for Chen Lingyun... who is she? No need for her anymore.

"Phew." Ye Jun brushed the sweat-dampened strands of hair behind her ear, then exhaled deeply to steady her slightly rapid breathing, somewhat embarrassedly asking, "Can I rest for a bit?"

"Of course." Yan Yu said, "We haven't started using the secret technique yet, you can readjust yourself first."

"Mhm." Ye Jun then lay in his arms and whispered, "Actually, it's quite tiring."

"You've worked hard." Yan Yu gave her a hug for comfort.

"It's nothing, I'm used to it." Ye Jun casually replied, but quickly realizing the ambiguity, she hurriedly explained, "No, I mean, the work in the team was also tiring and annoying, so I… at least I don't feel it's that hard right now."

"What kind of work did you do in the Dragon Soar Team?" Yan Yu asked.

"Sigh." Thinking of the past grievances, Ye Jun uncomfortably twisted her body, causing cute blushes to spread to her neck and earlobes, "All kinds of miscellaneous tasks. Like writing reports, submitting forms, collecting intelligence, organizing team-building activities, booking hotels, planning itineraries, and even later on, living in the team base, I had to handle the cleaning and cooking too, making me feel like their hired housekeeper."

The more she talked, the more upset she became; her whole body tensed up again, feeling the urge to punch the air to vent her frustration.

Yan Yu quickly changed the topic, "You should aim to form a top-grade Golden Core this time and amaze them."

"Mhm." Along Yan Yu's words, envisioning herself impressing her old teammates, Ye Jun finally couldn't help but smile, with a ripple of affection brewing in her eyes as she looked at Yan Yu, "I don't know if this secret technique will work, but I believe in you."

"You'll find out if you try." Yan Yu eagerly asked, "Have you rested enough? Shall we go again?"

"Yes, I want to try that earlier one."

"Which one?"

"Don't ask... Let me do it."