Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The first day's training session consisted of performing precise emergency stops while augmented by the Shifting Technique.

The second day's training session still focused on precise emergency stops.

The third day's training session was, once again, all about precise emergency stops.

The fourth day... Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were fine, but Lin Ning was becoming somewhat restless.

It wasn't that she found the exercise boring, but rather because at the public training ground, an instructor had invited combat experts to teach the students military combat techniques.

As everyone knows, the Wood Bending Charm in the Five Elemental True Character Curse isn't inherently offensive; it merely bestows strength upon fists and kicks. To unleash its lethal potential, you have to be skilled with your fists and feet.

Having strength without technique is useless; if your blows don't land, it's all for naught.

But Yan Yu—what was he thinking? At least for now, he didn't seem to have any plans to let everyone learn hand-to-hand combat and was idly lying on a bench nearby, playing with his phone.

He didn't even come over to check on everyone's progress, appearing completely unconcerned.

Lin Ning was beginning to get angry, but she tried her best to contain it.

If Yan Yu knew what was on her mind, he would surely cry out "injustice" three times. Because he wasn't just playing on his phone, he was, in fact, dealing with something much more important.

The future Eclipse Queen of Siberia, Anna, had already left Shengjing and Lu Country with her father, emigrating to Amur in the Far Eastern region of Rakshasa Country.

Anna met her mother... But contrary to her expectations, her mother's attitude was not warm. Though her mother had initially promised her father to help find a job, she now claimed to be "too busy" and suggested he "first ask around in the local Chinese community".

Luckily, Anna still had her aunt's phone number, and after calling, she learned that recently, her mother had been dating a local Rakshasa man and was preparing for a second marriage.

The young girl's guess was that her mother intended to cut ties completely with her ex-husband and daughter, so as not to let her Rakshasa boyfriend notice and get the wrong idea.

The biggest challenge now facing the father and daughter was whether to return to their country and endure the criticism of relatives and friends, or to struggle to make a living in a foreign land where everything was unfamiliar.

Anna was extremely fearful of the latter, but her father absolutely refused to choose the former. Both were worrying about what to do next and tacitly avoiding the issue that the father had previously been confident that his ex-wife would help arrange the emigration and jobs, even delaying his daughter's future because of it, only to eventually find out it was all wishful thinking on his part.

This turn of events had put a great deal of psychological pressure on Anna, and of course, she dared not vent at her father, knowing that his own mental strain would only be greater than hers. So, she turned to Yan Yu as her confidant.

Yan Yu silently stared at the phone. In just a few minutes, he had received over 40 messages from Anna. He didn't even want to look at them.

Women are such a hassle.

Of course, since he had decided to maintain a friendship with her, he definitely couldn't give up halfway; otherwise, all the effort he had put in so far would be wasted.

Yan Yu, lying back on the bench, responded with half-hearted typing, pressed the send button, set aside his phone, and then saw a pretty face in front of him that had appeared out of nowhere.

It was Lin Ning's face, with a look of dissatisfaction.

Yan Yu's gaze naturally shifted downward and saw that she was standing at the edge of the bench, hands on her hips, upper body leaning down towards him with a puffed expression, locking eyes with him.

Today she wore hot denim shorts that highlighted her pale, model-worthy legs that could grace the cover of an online shop, and a sleeveless tank top that revealed half of the sports bra underneath along the edges of the straps. Her shoulders were equally smooth and well-defined, complete with her delicate and slender collarbones.

Such a beautiful girl could easily have had a comfortable life in this modern society where looks matter so much. Even if she just went to a live streaming platform to become a female broadcaster, she could instantly have the top patron raining down gold coins on her.

Too bad, she ultimately chose to enter the fiercely competitive and least superficial world of cultivators... Curse you, Spiritual Energy Resurgence! You've ruined so many lives!

Yan Yu was distracted. Perhaps because his gaze lingered too long, Lin Ning self-consciously adjusted her tank top's strap to cover more skin on her chest, then, still adjusting the strap, she asked,

"They're teaching hand-to-hand combat over there; do we not need to learn that?"

"No need," Yan Yu answered.

"Why?" Lin Ning asked doubtfully. "Wouldn't the skills from hand-to-hand combat be very helpful after learning the Curved Curse?"

"Not really," Yan Yu said dismissively. "What do you think hand-to-hand combat skills are based on?"

"Er, aren't they summarized from actual combat experience by our predecessors?" Lin Ning said uncertainly.

"Exactly," Yan Yu nodded. "Whose actual combat? Ordinary people."

"The hand-to-hand combat techniques used by the military nowadays, instructing you on how to position yourself, how to punch, are all aimed to allow you to make the most of the power of your waist, abdomen, and arms to make your punches stronger and more forceful."

"But as I have said, these are concerns for ordinary people. With the empowerment of the Wood Bending Charm, a cultivator can greatly enhance their muscle strength. You don't need to rely on the power of your waist and abdomen; once you activate the charm, a casual punch could shatter an opponent's skull or rupture their internal organs, causing instant death.

Is there any need to go to the trouble of learning the stances and punches of ordinary people then?"

"But what if the opponent is also a cultivator?" Lin Ning felt almost convinced but still confirmed, "I remember you said that before practicing the Wood Bending Charm, it would be best to go through the military boxing, right? If both sides are cultivators, fighting in close combat with charms, wouldn't it come down to whose combat skills are more sophisticated?"

"Of course," said Yan Yu leisurely. "If you throw punches wildly and can't even hit the opponent standing in front of you, it's necessary to at least learn the basics to reach a passing level."

"But after reaching the passable level, is it necessary to delve deeper into it? This is a question worth discussing. Lin Ning, ask yourself, do you like hand-to-hand combat?"

"I..." Lin Ning thought to herself that she was a girl; how could she possibly enjoy fistfights, "but isn't it true that the Wood Bending Charm, which can counter the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, is a skill that every cultivator must master?"

"That's the case now, but it might not be in the future," Yan Yu said calmly, guessing her true answer from her avoidance of the question, "If I tell you now, you wouldn't understand anyway, just trust me."

Just as the insects of summer cannot comprehend the ice and snow of winter, early cultivators of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence era couldn't imagine the extravagant scenes of later periods, with Immortal Swords flying everywhere and Taoism Method sweeping across the battlefield.

The Three Arts and Five Spells being studied now are only basic spells, and there will be stronger advanced spells later on, so it's unnecessary to invest too much effort in researching them.

The Metal-Element Impact Curse is a precursor to Sword Qi, Wood Bending Charm and Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse are precursors to physical cultivation, while the Water-Element Runescript and Fire Blazing Charm are precursors to Taoism Method.

As the spiritual energy gradually recovers, the number of sects and spells will be too numerous to count, which is why it's crucial for everyone to make choices and sacrifices.

One cannot simultaneously be a sword cultivator, a spell caster, and a body cultivator, just as a high school student cannot choose both arts and sciences. What good does it do to learn and test in three comprehensive courses in high school? People won't think you're amazing; they'll just think you're an idiot who has fried their brain with excessive studying.

In her previous life, Lin Ning was a sword cultivator and performed exceptionally well, so she really didn't need to delve into hand-to-hand combat skills.

If the goal now is to maximize the value of training, then it would certainly be best to practice the basics, to improve reaction speed, and to cultivate a sense of distance, direction, and spatial awareness—these are the things that retain substantial practical value in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

Lin Ning came over and asked a flurry of questions but didn't get any answer; she went back with nothing except a vague assurance of "just trust me."

Yan Yu continued to play with his phone. Not long after, someone poked his shoulder.

Putting down his phone, he saw it was Chen Lingyun, that rubbish woman.

Unlike Lin Ning, who was in a tank top, shorts, and sneakers, Chen Lingyun had chosen a white women's blouse for the day, with a tie affixed to the shirt by a brooch, and pants with a sense of design, along with canvas shoes that female university students are particularly fond of.

Her hair was tied into cute twin ponytails, making her look not like she was here for training but rather like she was here for a spring outing. Coupled with her innocent yet insincere smiling face, Yan Yu found her increasingly disagreeable no matter how he looked at her.

"What is it?" he asked deliberately in a threatening and unfriendly tone. "Is your training done? If it's not, what are you doing here? Slacking off, right? As the assistant squad leader, you dare to be lazy; be careful, or I'll strip you of your title!"

"It's not slacking off; I have a serious question for you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "As for the assistant squad leader, you can replace me; I don't care."

"What serious question?" Yan Yu sat up from the bench.

"Yan Yu, you've heard of the 'Assistant Enforcer Spellcaster,' haven't you?" Chen Lingyun blinked.