Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest-Chapter 512 - 8: I Want to Become Li Minghu
Chapter 512: Chapter 8: I Want to Become Li Minghu
Several days had passed, and the cleanup operation in the Mysterious Realm was finally drawing to a close.
The group had continuously encountered several special puppets and acquired some Magic Treasures and materials from them. However, it was disappointing that they hadn’t found any rare items like Qing Yuan energy.
According to Zhao Yuanzhen, in the depth of winter, all things were lifeless until the early spring brought warmth and revival. Qing Yuan energy was collected by a master of Yimu Taoism Method who gathered the first breath of life from the earth after the onset of spring each year. It needed to be refined for at least one 60-year cycle to accumulate a volume the size of a pinky finger.
This item was useful for refining Yimu-based Magic Treasures, Taoism Methods, or Elixir Medicines with rejuvenating effects. However, for the Zhennai Team members, it was best used as a natural and rare treasure for puppet creation.
The puppets already used Divine Dragon Wood as skeletal material, and now by infusing Qing Yuan energy as its marrow, Jian Wood and Yimu would synergize, thus granting a powerful self-healing ability. Not only could they recover from dismemberment, but even if shattered into pieces, one could simply glue them back together. After a night, the cracks would self-repair and return to original form.
As for the additional benefits of this rare treasure in breathing exercises, it naturally goes without saying that it would enhance the efficiency of Qi Refinement.
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After having dinner, everyone went back to rest individually.
If following Lin Ning’s habit, she would usually take a walk outside after dinner to aid digestion. However, recently, because she had been going to practice with the captain at night, she suddenly had an impulse and stealthily went to Yan Yu’s room. She used Wall-Penetration Technique to sneak in, curious to see what Yan Yu would be doing alone in his room.
She saw him sitting on a chair, watching a video on his phone.
“Tsk!” Lin Ning was somewhat disappointed, but then leaned in to take another look and realized it was a live broadcast of a Mysterious Realm competition.
“Is Qing’an Team fighting Dragon Cavalry Team?” Lin Ning asked from behind Yan Yu after watching for a while.
“Yeah,” Yan Yu replied.
“Why does the live stream’s title say ‘Second Half of the Battle of the Four Kings’?” Lin Ning asked again.
“Because the first half has already been played.”
“When was it played?” Lin Ning was surprised.
“During our match against Huofeng Team.”
Only then did Lin Ning realize that the so-called “Four Kings” referred to the top teams—Zhennai, Huofeng, Dragon Cavalry, and Qing’an. She couldn’t help but feel a bit proud and elated.
We’re one of the Four Kings now!
Thinking this, she became interested in the match and dragged a stool over to sit next to Yan Yu and watch together.
While Yan Yu was still thinking about something, he suddenly smelled a fragrance.
It smells like lemon? Oh, right, that must be Ningning’s shampoo.
Back when everyone lived together in Jinling Villa, they often rotated tasks like shopping for household supplies. Yan Yu knew that Ningning liked sea salt lemon scent, Yun Jin preferred jasmine, and Xie Ruoxi used ginger for oil control. The scents of these three girls’ hair usually didn’t change much.
Chen Lingyun didn’t use commercially available shampoo but had it custom-made from a private workshop, and its scent was complex and frequently changed. More complexly, Zhao Yuanzhen’s shampoo scents rotated among the previous four—she loved “borrowing” her sisters’ bath products.
Now smelling the faint lemon scent, Yan Yu didn’t need to turn his head to know that Lin Ning had moved closer. He chuckled and said:
“When did you become interested in tactics?”
Feeling a little defiant, Lin Ning pouted and said:
“Can’t I be interested in tactics?”
“Then tell me, who will win this match?” Yan Yu pointed his phone at her.
“I…” Lin Ning hesitated immediately.
She had been watching for a while and knew that this time the Dragon Cavalry Team was starting with Liu Longtao, followed by the other five members. This 1-then-5 lineup, now known as “Solo Blade,” was commonly used by the home team.
The home team’s first member entered the arena alone, freely scouting the area and gathering intelligence in the absence of competitors. After three minutes, when the second member of the away team entered, they were faced with a dilemma: should they take down the opposing frontliner or ambush the rear echelons?
If targeting the front, the opponent, having entered earlier, was familiar with the environment and held an informational advantage. They could fight or flee as they chose, or even hide, making them hard to forcefully defeat.
If one were to ambush the rear, although they had just entered and were unfamiliar with the terrain, they came in groups of five, making them a tough challenge to overcome even in an ambush.
The methods of warfare least desired by any army is to be divided and conquered by the enemy. The advantage of a “Solo Blade” is that the front has an informational advantage, and the rear has numerical strength, leaving no glaring vulnerabilities. Once the rear of the home team entered, the six members grouped up and would take the opportunity to defeat the frontliner of the visiting team before their rear even got a chance to enter, thus essentially securing a victory. Therefore, many teams preferred to use this “Solo Blade” configuration on their home turf, assigning their Sword Immortal to lead.
As the visiting team, Qing’an Team had chosen Li Minghu to be in the latter part, with the other five starting first.
This reversed quantity configuration is called “Decapitation Game,” which obviously means leveraging the numerical advantage to go head-on against Liu Longtao with a fierce battle.
By the time Yan Yu asked, Liu Longtao had already used the advantage of striking first to launch a sneak attack, which caused Tao Xingyuan from the Qing’an Team to leave the field. Li Zhaojiang’s side was left with four people, attempting to surround and assassinate Liu Longtao, but the fight was still in a deadlock.
Ye Jun led the team into the field from behind, the sixth person, Bai Ran, was a Master Beast Cultivator, using a Spirit Bird to confirm Liu Longtao’s location, and was now leading the whole team to hurry over.
As one could imagine, once the Dragon Soar Team fully assembled, Li Zhaojiang’s four people would be at a disadvantage—the commentators in the live broadcast also believed that Qing’an Team was likely to lose, as the Dragon Soar Team was famously strong in offensive capability and had the numerical advantage, plus Qing’an Team was already down one person, how could they possibly turn the tables?
“Uh.” Lin Ning was, after all, a Problem Solver by nature, so she cautiously said, “I think it’s tough for the Qing’an Team to win.”
“Why?” Yan Yu smiled.
“Aren’t they one person short?” Lin Ning asked uncertainly.
“But the Dragon Soar Team is down two people,” Yan Yu answered, “Do you know Li Zhaojiang’s spell?”
“Oh, Magnetic Divine Light!” Lin Ning suddenly realized, “Magnetic Divine Light can attract the Flying Sword, so it can counter Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, the two Sword Immortals, is that what you mean? But the Dragon Soar Team will definitely prepare in advance. The commentary also mentioned that the two Sword Immortals must have backup measures, they wouldn’t just stand by the entire match because of the Magnetic Divine Light.”
“They probably prepared some magic treasure, a temporary solution to the lack of Flying Sword’s output,” Yan Yu answered, “With impaired output ability, that’s why they took down Tao Xingyuan early on and then tried to wear down the opposition using numerical advantage and Ye Jun’s Xuan Guang Ruler defense, aiming for attrition wars. The tactical intent of the Dragon Soar Team is very clear, but for the Qing’an Team… it depends on what Li Minghu does as she joins later. I think she won’t be caught off guard by this situation.”
“Li Minghu…” Lin Ning tentatively asked, “Captain, you think highly of her, don’t you?”
“She is one of the rare Sword Immortals who possesses both combat talent and tactical thinking,” Yan Yu answered.
Lin Ning felt a sense of inexplicable loss, but couldn’t deny it either, only patiently continued watching with Yan Yu.
Three minutes later, Li Minghu finally appeared.
At this time, the Dragon Soar Team and Qing’an Team were still fiercely battling. Li Minghu quietly approached the outskirts of the battlefield, assessed the situation for a moment, but instead of joining the fray, she turned and left.
“Eh?” Commentator Zhou Erhe suddenly became puzzled, “Vice-captain Li did not join the battle, what is she planning to do? Ambush from the outskirts? But with Ye Jun’s Xuan Guang Ruler there, even a surprise attack under enhanced defense would hardly be effective with ordinary swordsmanship attacks!”
“No, she’s getting farther and farther from the battlefield…” Xu Dongming suddenly realized, and exclaimed, “I understand now! She’s planning to steal the BOSS!”
“That makes sense,” Yan Yu saw this and laughed, “Ningning, do you understand now?”
“What?” Lin Ning was completely confused.
“Li Minghu was not on the outskirts just watching to see if she should join the battle,” Yan Yu explained in detail, “but was secretly communicating with her teammates. I guess someone told her the location of the BOSS.”
“So she is really going to steal the BOSS?” Lin Ning found this increasingly unbelievable.
“The multiple Sword Immortal setup of the Dragon Soar Team, being countered by Li Zhaojiang’s Magnetic Divine Light, lacking sufficient output for a quick kill, they would consider dragging out the battle,” Yan Yu said reflectively, “Since it’s a drawn-out battle, it will take a long time. Even if Li Minghu is the last to enter, she still has a chance to steal the BOSS… Now it’s just a matter of when the Dragon Soar Team realizes it.”
Lin Ning finally understood and watched the live broadcast intently without blinking.
A few minutes later, since Li Minghu who had entered earlier still hadn’t appeared, the Dragon Soar Team finally caught on and quickly sent out two Sword Immortals, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, to check on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.
They discovered the Gatekeeper was not in its original position, but had been lured away by Li Minghu.
In the split screen provided by the director, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun could be seen frantically searching in different directions, slowly nearing Li Minghu’s location, while Li Minghu, dragging the Gatekeeper, hid in a secluded corner of the Mysterious Realm, meticulously battling it using the Sword Control Technique.
This Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper was not very strong, compared to Huofeng Team’s Demon Monk from another encounter, it was almost a world apart. Li Minghu, fighting alone, although it was extremely strenuous, she had not once fallen into peril due to any mistakes.
Just as Guo Feiyun was about to find her, Li Minghu finally killed the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, grabbed the nerve center and swiftly used the Invisibility Technique to slip away.
A few minutes later, the Dragon Soar Team also eliminated the remaining four members of the Qing’an Team, and began a full-scale search for Li Minghu.
Unfortunately, the sixth person, Bai Ran, although an Envoy by profession, was a Master Beast Cultivator that only played with Spirit Birds; his scouting ability was slightly inferior compared to the Master Insect and Ghost Cultivators. Li Minghu, being clever, found a lake in the Mysterious Realm, hid under the water to quietly refine the nerve center, and the Spirit Bird unable to dive into water couldn’t detect even a trace of her.
“Qing’an Team turned the tables,” Yan Yu turned off the live broadcast, “What’s left is garbage time, no need to watch anymore. If you want to watch, use your own phone.”
“Captain,” Lin Ning stayed silent for a while, then exclaimed, “Li Minghu is really impressive.”
“Right,” Yan Yu thought there was no need to state this, he had known it all along.
“I want to learn tactics,” Lin Ning suddenly said.
