Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The media control over news regarding the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, although everyone knew it would be lifted sooner or later, no one expected it to come so abruptly.

Because of the heavy-hitting news about "Reclaiming the Sacred Mountain," announced publicly at Gyeongbokgung, it had been frenziedly propagated by major media in the opposing country, and the entire nation seemed to be cheering for it.

As the news traveled through international channels to the domestic front, the citizens of Lu Country were utterly confused: What? Changbai Mountain is not ours anymore?

Soon, related topics quickly climbed to the top of major media platforms and trending searches.

Due to the neighboring country's disregard for decorum, uncorking champagne in a vacuum, the spokesperson for the Privy Council of Lu Country had to immediately come out to clarify, announcing that the Mysterious Realm had not been lost and was still under the control of Lu Country.

The lifting of the ban on intelligence about Spiritual Energy Resurgence and the disclosure of information, already planned, also had to be prematurely implemented.

Within just a few days, the internet was flooded with countless short videos, articles, and Q&A sessions, explaining to netizens "what is Spiritual Energy Resurgence," "what is a Cultivator," "what is a Mysterious Realm," and so on.

However, it was of no use.

The vast majority of citizens didn't care what Spiritual Energy Resurgence was; they were only concerned with "who occupies Changbai Mountain now," and innumerable voices online were close to creating an uproar.

"Sometimes I really think that people in our country are protected too well," Anna sighed over the phone, "Can't they think about it? In a world with magic, realizing you can't use magic, isn't that terrifying?"

"Ignorance is a kind of bliss," Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, "Right now, the country is still on the path of sticking to desperate straits, where Cultivators stick to their cultivation, and ordinary people stick to their ordinariness. The two sides are clear-cut, not interfering with each other, and the lives of most citizens are not at all affected by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

In this context, asking them to think about 'relationships between immortals' is also unrealistic, isn't it?"

"You're dreaming," Anna scoffed, "I bet you, in less than ten years, there will be a huge upheaval in the country."

"Ten years?" Yan Yu chuckled, "You're that optimistic?"

"Huh?" Anna seemed puzzled, "Then what do you think?"

"I don't think much of it," Yan Yu said offhandedly, "Whether it gets better or worse, we have no choice but to adapt."

"That's true," Anna said with a bitter smile and a sigh, "Anyway, it can't get worse than it is here."

Though things seemed calm in Lu Country, the north was already a mess after the storm had passed.

Take Amur City, where Anna lived, as an example. With the official forces strategically retreating to the west, the entire city was quickly divided among various Spirit Communication gangs.

The Beast Gang (werewolves) made the northern part of the main urban area their hunting ground, the central market was occupied and defended by the Blood Demon Gang (vampires), and the eastern bank of the Xilinka River became territory for the witches' group—Anna's aunt was a high-ranking member of the witches' group.

In the domains ruled by the Transcendents, humans had no "human rights" at all. Werewolves and vampires regarded humans as food and recruits, while witches and Necromancers used them as spellcasting materials...

But with the current degree of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the power gap between Transcendents and humans had not yet reached an insurmountable level, so armed human organizations would often rise up, set traps, and kill Transcendents.

Anna, due to her Transcendent abilities and with a guarantee from her aunt, had smoothly joined the witches' group and was now integrating the human forces within the territory to ensure the witches' safety.

The so-called "integration" meant either submitting to the witches' rule and accepting the fate of potentially becoming spellcasting materials at any time or fighting bravely and nobly dying, most likely ending up as spellcasting materials on the spot. There was no third option.

Yan Yu sighed deeply about this.

Of course, he utterly disliked such cruel behavior that regarded ordinary people as subhuman.

But it has to be said, with the current societal collapse on Anna's side, where it was either kill or be killed, Yan Yu was not some Knight who couldn't stand the slightest fault; thus, without criticizing or accusing her, he simply consoled her by saying,

"Well, at least you and your dad are still alive, aren't you? I'm going to get to work, so I'll stop chatting."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Anna hurriedly spoke up, seeing that he was about to hang up, "Can we talk a bit more? I bought this international calling package, and I get 30 minutes of free outgoing call time each week, I can't waste it."

"Why did you buy an international package?"

"It's very expensive to pay by the minute!"

"If you know it's expensive, then don't call for such long periods of time!"

"Are you getting tired of me now?" Anna immediately became annoyed, "I was sending you messages before, and you said you couldn't keep up with them, and that it's better to call!"

"If the genders were reversed, do you know what your behavior would be called?" Yan Yu spoke gravely, schooling her, "You're being a 'lick dog,' you know?"

"If I'm a lick dog, I'll bite you to death," Anna said indignantly, "I'm hanging up!"

She hung up the phone first, and Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief on the other end.

To continue the relationship, her calling him frequently for long chats was really too clingy for his liking, and it was a bit too much for him to cope with; but if he kept his distance? He feared she would cut off contact altogether, and his early investment of time and energy would all be in vain.

Trapped by the sunk cost fallacy!

If it were a real fight, Yan Yu had a thousand ways to decisively kill the enemy; but dealing with interpersonal relationships, maintaining a connection without letting it cool off too much or overheating it to the point it becomes corrupted... Although Yan Yu had lived through two lifetimes, he was not skilled in these matters.

After much deliberation, he decided he had to "treat others with sincerity," speaking his mind openly.

After chatting with Anna, Yan Yu stepped out of his room and saw Su Yunjin leaning against the second-floor railing, staring blankly at the large living room on the first floor.

"What's the matter?"

Yan Yu joined her, looking down into the living room, which was empty.

"Nothing," Su Yunjin said silently for a moment before sighing and then asking, "Captain, you're pretty free these days, aren't you?"

Yan Yu's gaze sharpens instantly: What, are you mocking me?

"If you want to train more, just say it straight, no need to hint around like this. I would definitely arrange that for you."

However, Su Yunjin was completely unaware that she had just skirted the edge of disaster, and her next words smoothed over the danger:

"If you're free, would you walk with me?"

"Okay." Yan Yu checked the time, "Where to?"

"Just around the neighborhood." Su Yunjin released the railing and smiled softly, "The captain is a very busy person, I won't keep you for too long."

The two left the villa and walked along the streets of the neighborhood.

It was getting late, and the temperature wasn't too hot anymore. They could see the rosy clouds of a sunset, spreading their brilliant and stunning colors across the horizon.

Su Yunjin took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the sunset. Seeing her in good spirits, Yan Yu asked:

"It's about time for dinner, shall we go eat?"

"The captain is always thinking about food," Su Yunjin chuckled.

"One always has to eat," Yan Yu replied calmly, "If it coincides with a social activity, it saves time."

"Oh, I see." Su Yunjin nodded, "But I'm not hungry yet. How about we go get some milk tea instead?" Continue reading at empire

"That works." His strategy of suggesting a meal was deftly countered by her, and as Yan Yu lacked a backup plan, he simply went with the flow.

The two headed to a milk tea shop across the street. Su Yunjin glanced at the menu and told the staff:

"A medium-sized Jasmine Guanyin, no ice, less sugar. Captain, what would you like?"

"I won't order anything." Yan Yu thought that drinking milk tea now would ruin his appetite as they were going to have dinner soon.

"Oh." Su Yunjin nodded, "Then you can have some of mine later."

That might work... huh?

Yan Yu: ???

"Sharing one drink between two people," he said slowly, "is that really okay, Yun Jin?"

"Indeed, it's not quite proper." Su Yunjin nodded without changing her expression, "So what would the captain like to drink?"

It was a feint... no, a counterattack?

Yan Yu subconsciously felt he couldn't quite grasp this girl's thoughts. If it were in combat, facing an unpredictable enemy, one could adopt a cautious tactic of reacting with stillness to avoid falling into a trap laid by the opponent.

As it's well-known that combat experience could be applied to other areas, Yan Yu simply said with composure:

"Then do you have any recommendations?"

"Not really," Su Yunjin smiled faintly.

"Then I'll have the same as you," said Yan Yu.

"I prefer lighter flavors," Su Yunjin reminded him, "The captain might want to choose less sugar."

"It's fine, whatever I drink doesn't really matter," Yan Yu waved it off.

Perhaps she had read too many romance novels, a line suddenly popped into Su Yunjin's head:

"Next to you, even the bitterest tea tastes sweeter than honey."

Her lips parted slightly, her mind a whirl of subtle tumult and complexity, but then she heard Yan Yu ask:

"So what's really bothering you?"

Su Yunjin: .........

Well, there goes the mood.

I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up about the captain.

"Alright," she sighed deeply, "It's actually about some family matters."

"Since it's a personal issue, I won't pry," Yan Yu immediately showed tact and stopped pressing, "I believe you can handle it."

Su Yunjin maintained her composure and continued:

"Yeah, but it might affect my performance and mood during training afterward."

"...Thinking about it, as the captain, I can't ignore any negative factors that affect the mental health of my team members." Yan Yu smoothly changed his approach, casually taking the milk tea from the staff, "Let's go over there and talk in detail."