After those words were spoken, the conversation between the two died out, and the room fell into silence.
As they both sat cross-legged, circulating their breath, Mu Yanxi felt the atmosphere — it was a bit awkward.
A sharp aura emanated from Shangguan Yun as she cultivated; she seemed to be practicing a sword sutra.
Having seen her display many divine abilities before, Mu Yanxi was certain she practiced more than just one cultivation method.
In Mu Yanxi’s past life, a cultivator would typically focus on one primary cultivation method and one or two auxiliary methods for utility.
Some methods were strong in the early stages but weak later on, while others were strong in the middle stages, leading practitioners to switch methods or treat their initial choice as a temporary transition.
However, this world was different. If one stayed at the Qi Refining stage, a cultivation method could not be progressed further once its Qi Refining portion was completed.
For instance, in the Spirit Snake Shedding Skin she practiced, the first three layers corresponded to the Qi Refining stage, while everything after Level 3 corresponded to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Without breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, she could not practice the later portions. The same applied to the virgin fairy bathing method.
Even if a cultivation method was not raised to a higher level, its effect of absorbing spiritual energy to convert into mana remained.
However, as the number of Qi Refining levels increased, the demand for spiritual energy grew larger. Two or three cultivation methods were definitely not enough.
Since there was plenty of free time, Qi Refining cultivators would practice a third, a fourth, or even seven or eight cultivation methods to constantly increase their efficiency.
For someone like Mu Yanxi who had no spirit root, practicing more ordinary cultivation methods wouldn’t improve her efficiency since she couldn’t sense spiritual energy at all.
But for a sacred spiritual root cultivator like Shangguan Yun, the more cultivation methods she practiced, the better.
Not only would her cultivation speed increase, but her divine abilities would also be greatly enhanced.
Mu Yanxi estimated that she had practiced at least one specific cultivation method for each of her four spiritual root attributes.
Sure enough, after a while, the sharp aura around Shangguan Yun vanished, replaced by a refreshing floral scent.
She had switched methods. Mu Yanxi could only continue to toil with her Spirit Snake Shedding Skin.
There was no other way; she had no spirit root and could only practice physical cultivation. If she wanted to practice the virgin fairy bathing method, she would need spiritual water.
A moment later, the floral scent from Shangguan Yun’s side shifted into a young woman’s natural body fragrance. She was actually practicing charm arts.
Sitting on the same bed — though not directly touching — the pervasive scent made Mu Yanxi’s heart race, and she couldn’t focus on her cultivation at all.
Mu Yanxi strongly suspected that Shangguan Yun was doing this on purpose to force her into double cultivation.
After smelling the fragrance, she felt her body heating up again.
Furthermore, the sweat from their earlier battle felt uncomfortably damp on her skin. Her previously tranquil cultivation mindset had vanished completely.
Unable to sit still any longer, Mu Yanxi stood up and said, “Sorry, I’m going to the bathroom to take a shower.”
Shangguan Yun stopped her breathing exercise and stood up. “Perfect. I want to take a shower too. I worked up a sweat fighting you just now.”
Mu Yanxi frowned. She hadn’t gone earlier, yet she waited until Mu Yanxi said she was going before saying she needed to wash as well. ‘Wasn’t this intentional?’
“What’s wrong? We are double cultivation study partners; isn’t it normal to bathe together?”
“If you need mental preparation for double cultivation, it’s only right that we bathe together to build some rapport, right?” Shangguan Yun asked with a smile.
“Moreover, I’m the girl here. If anything, you’re the one taking advantage of me. Surely you aren’t more bashful than a girl?”
Faced with such a provocation, Mu Yanxi’s pride as a former man kicked in. She braced herself and said, “Fine, let’s wash together. Who’s afraid of who?!”