Chen Yuyang: “…”
He was momentarily speechless at Yunlian’s matter-of-fact rhetorical question.
After a moment of silence, he helplessly explained, “The original purpose of dual cultivation techniques was to enhance cultivation through the to merge of breath and complementary techniques. It was a very proper method used to assist cultivation.”
“However, as times changed, some with ill intentions to alter and exploited dual cultivation, turning it into what it is today, completely deviate from its original intent.”
Yunlian nodded, seemingly understanding.
“I see…” she murmured.
Then, as if something else occurred to her, she couldn’t help looking up at Chen Yuyang with a hint of concern and curiosity.
“But, Senior Brother, do you only have this serious kind of dual cultivation method?”
Chen Yuyang gave her an exasperated look.
“What, do you want to try the improper kind?”
Yunlian’s cheeks instantly burned hot.
She quickly lowered her head to avoid the young man’s gaze.
But in her heart, she couldn’t help thinking.
‘If that’s the case, does it mean that between Senior Brother and the senior martial sisters… maybe… maybe nothing physically intimate ever happened?’
At that thought, the corner of Yunlian’s mouth unconsciously curled up, and she felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
“Anyway…”
Yunlian took a deep breath and looked up, her gaze still determined, though her cheeks still bore an unnatural flush.
“No matter what form it takes, I just want to increase my strength quickly.”
She paused, then lowered her voice again and continued, “Even if… even if Senior Brother wants to take advantage of me through this, I’ll accept it.”
Seeing her like this, Chen Yuyang shook his head helplessly and couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
‘No point in saying more. Whether I’m a gentleman or not isn’t proven by words.’
Without another word, Chen Yuyang walked straight to the bed and sat down.
Yunlian quickly followed.
The two sat cross-legged facing each other on the bed, about two feet apart.
“Activate the Hehuan Jue, focus your mind, empty your thoughts. Leave the rest to this senior brother to guide,” Chen Yuyang instructed calmly.
Yunlian nodded, then did as told.
She took a slight deep breath, calming her still somewhat agitated heart, and slowly closed her eyes.
Forming hand seals, she placed them on her knees, silently chanted, and began circulating the Hehuan Jue within her body.
As the technique activated, Yunlian felt a cold energy begin to flow inside her.
A chill spread throughout her body.
Sensing the fluctuations of the girl’s internal energy, Chen Yuyang didn’t immediately take her hands but instead observed her specific condition.
He could perceive that the supreme yin force within Yunlian was quite pure, though she had accumulated a fair amount of yin evil energy as well.
Although Yunlian had already started cultivating the revised Hehuan Jue that Bu Lingxuan had perfected—which could by oneself harmonize yin and yang—these yin evil energies were remnants from before and would take time to eliminate.
His to actively intervene could greatly accelerate the entire process.
After confirming the general situation, Chen Yuyang no longer hesitated and began circulating his own Primordial Art.
In an instant, a scorching energy rose from within him, as hot as a blazing sun.
“Relax. Feel the energy I’m transmitting. Don’t resist it. Let it naturally to merge with your body.”
Chen Yuyang continued calmly as he took the girl’s hands in his palms.
A gentle supreme yang energy slowly extended out, along the meridians of Yunlian’s arms, merging into her body.
In that moment, Yunlian’s body shuddered violently, and she couldn’t help letting out a soft moan.
Yunlian felt as if her parched meridians had finally received rain—the stagnant supreme yin energy suddenly became active.
Supreme yin and supreme yang, the two forces met, intertwined, and merged within the girl’s body.
An indescribable sense of comfort emerged from her limbs and bones as the energy naturally circulated.
Yunlian’s eyelids fluttered, and her mouth unconsciously curved upward.
“Senior Brother… the hot energy is entering… so comfortable…”
As if sleep-talking, Yunlian mumbled indistinctly.
She was thoroughly enjoying the process, feeling her entire body become light and airy.
But these words made the veins on Chen Yuyang’s forehead bulge.
Immediately, he spoke sternly, “Don’t talk. Focus on circulating the energy and let it naturally complete its cycle!”
Chastised, Yunlian’s face reddened slightly.
She quickly gathered her focus and concentrated on the flow of energy within her.
As the process continued, Yunlian could clearly feel certain things inside her being constantly expanded and opened under this cycle.
At the same time, continuous power was generated and grew within her.
Her cultivation, which had been stagnate at the second level of the Golden Core realm, quietly and naturally crossed into the third level—as if it were only right—and continued to steadily advance toward even higher levels.
Golden Core, fourth level!
In just a short while, Yunlian felt her cultivation surge forward, directly breaking through to the fourth level and firmly stepping into the fifth level.
Yet it didn’t end there.
Under Chen Yuyang’s guidance with the technique, the two forces repeatedly surged through the girl’s body, nourishing every meridian and every inch of her flesh.
The breakthrough in cultivation level slowed, but the increase in strength and the transformation of her constitution were genuine happening.
However, under such intense to transfer Yunlian soon felt exhausted.
Her spiritual energy couldn’t withstand such high-intensity to toss about and showed signs of depletion.
Her body also began to ache, feel weak, and go limp from the transformation.
In contrast, Chen Yuyang’s side was relatively bland.
Engaging in this kind of dual cultivation with Yunlian was far less effective than doing so with his Master.
Aside from making his Primordial Art circulate more smoothly and naturally, dual cultivation with her brought almost no change to his own cultivation level—the increase was negligible.
At that, Chen Yuyang breathed a small sigh of relief.
‘I don’t want to advance too quickly. Steady cultivation is the true path.’
Finally, Yunlian’s spiritual energy was completely exhausted, and the Hehuan Jue stopped circulating.
Sensing Yunlian’s state, Chen Yuyang also ceased the Primordial Art.
By now, Yunlian was drenched in sweat.
Her clothes, soaked through, clung to her body, outlining her delicate curves.
Yunlian felt her eyelids heavy and her entire body limp and weak.
Her spiritual energy depleted , plus the burden of her enhanced constitution, left her aching all over.
“So tired… Senior Brother…”
Yunlian collapsed onto the bed, looking up at the young man, but a smile curled on her lips.
‘See, dual cultivation… works…’
Chen Yuyang stood up, stretching his body, which had grown stiff from maintaining the same position for so long.
“You’re tired. Recover a bit, take a bath, then go back and rest,” Chen Yuyang said calmly.
“Senior Brother, help me bathe,” Yunlian said, extending her pale, slender arm with a pitiful look, tugging at Chen Yuyang’s sleeve in a soft, gentle voice.
“You’ve worn me out so much that I don’t have an ounce of strength left. I can’t even walk steady,” she said, swaying her limp body.
Chen Yuyang: “…”
A moment later.
Chen Yuyang carried Yunlian like a chick, opened the door, and with little gentleness, kicked her out, then closed the door.
‘No strength?’
‘After all the body tempering I helped her with, I know exactly what condition she’s in.’
‘She’s weak now, sure, but standing, walking, doing simple movements—no problem at all.’
Outside the door, Yunlian staggered, barely steadying herself against the wall.
She looked at the door that had been shut without hesitation, stomped her foot in annoyance, and muttered quietly, “Calling Senior Brother a block of wood is practically a compliment! You had such a good chance to take advantage of me, but you didn’t. You might lose me! Hmph!”
Though she complained, Yunlian wasn’t truly angry.
With a light huff, she dragged her sore, limp body, slowly shuffling toward her own room.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Yuyang suddenly, without any warning, felt a pair of eyes watching him.
The gaze wasn’t sharp, but it carried an indescribable penetration.
Chen Yuyang’s heart stirred.
He instantly to expand his spiritual sense, silently spreading it in all directions.
But after a careful sweep, he didn’t find a single person.
‘Could it be a cultivator above the Combined Body stage?’
Chen Yuyang frowned slightly.
‘Someone who can hide from my current spiritual sense without being detected must at least have a cultivation at or above the Combined Body stage.’
‘No!’
He quickly dismissed that guess.
‘If a truly powerful cultivator were using their divine sense to probe, and they deliberately hid, I wouldn’t be able to detect their gaze so easily.’
‘But if it’s not such a powerful cultivator, my spiritual sense should have found where they were hiding.’
‘Unless…’
Something occurred to Chen Yuyang. He spun around sharply, his gaze sharp, and spoke into the air: “Senior Martial Sister Gu Qiushui, you’re watching me, aren’t you!”
At that moment, in a room tens of thousands of miles away, Gu Qiushui, who had been using her divine ability to spy on Chen Yuyang, heard this sudden call.
Her body jolted, and her eyes flew open, her face instantly reddening.
‘How is this possible?’
‘How did Junior Martial Brother find out I was watching him?’
Feeling the to peep end, Chen Yuyang knew his guess was correct.
‘What a pity. From such a distance, I can neither hear her voice nor see her expression.’
After a while, Chen Yuyang felt the gaze reappear.
“Don’t go around spying on people for no reason, Senior Martial Sister,” Chen Yuyang said calmly, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
“Though your divine ability is powerful, it also easily exposes you.”
“It’s fine with me, but if you recklessly spy on stronger cultivators, you’ll provoke their anger.”
After saying this, Chen Yuyang felt the gaze disappear again soon after.
On the other side, Gu Qiushui sheepishly withdrew her clairvoyance ability, her pretty face slightly flushed.
‘Junior Martial Brother really can sense it.’
“Hmph, just a junior martial brother, and he’s already lecturing me…”
Gu Qiushui muttered, complaining softly, “Hmph, going out for training is one thing, but he didn’t even bother to tell me in advance. And he took our little junior martial sister but not me… What, am I inferior to her?”
“I’ll make you pay when you get back.”