Shall We Practice Dual Cultivation

"A green hat?" A giant question mark practically popped up over Ying'er's head.

She blinked her pure, flawless big eyes, her face full of confusion. "What is that? Is it some kind of powerful magical artifact?"

Looking at her innocent and naive appearance, Ye Xuan suddenly felt it was a bit funny, but also a bit sad.

He reached out and gently flicked her smooth forehead.

"It means that while a Dao companion relationship still exists, one party betrays the other," he explained in the simplest and most straightforward words.

Ying'er nodded, half-understanding, and then let out a long sigh of relief. With a look of rejoicing, she said, "Thank goodness, I don't have a Dao companion. I am only Master's maid, so I definitely don't have a 'green hat'!"

"Pfft."

Ye Xuan exasperatedly raised his foot and gave her a light kick on her small bottom. "Cut the nonsense! I didn't give you resources so you could stand here making witty remarks. Hurry up and go cultivate!"

"Understood, Master!" Ying'er stuck out her tongue, made a funny face, and then hugged that precious ring, scurrying back to her room in a flash to cultivate with high spirits.

In the courtyard, Ye Xuan was once again left alone.

He sat down cross-legged, took out all the massive amounts of resources Ye Qingcheng had given him, and set up a small Spirit Gathering Array around himself.

Spiritual energy so dense it had almost materialized frantically surged into his body, nourishing his newly formed Golden Core.

An unprecedented sense of comfort spread through his limbs and bones.

He had to admit, being kept by these sugar mamas was truly an incredibly satisfying thing.

Because in his past life, they had failed him.

In this life, they would be just like this, offering up countless resources and wagging their tails begging for pity, just to seek a little bit of his favor.

The karma of this world was truly wonderful.

Feeling his rapidly increasing cultivation base, the corners of Ye Xuan's mouth slowly curled up. He suddenly let out a seemingly random sigh:

"Ah, people really should do more good deeds and accumulate virtue.

Otherwise, in the next life, they will have to pay it back with interest."

His voice was filled with gratification and mockery, scattering with the wind in the empty courtyard.

Over the next few days.

Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on the jade bed, the pores all over his body relaxed, greedily devouring the nearly liquefied spiritual energy around him.

In front of him lay more than a dozen empty pill bottles. Any single one of these pills would be enough to cause a bloodbath in the outside world, yet right now, he was swallowing them like free jellybeans.

Boom!

A muffled explosion echoed from within his body.

Middle stage of the Golden Core realm.

Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the spiritual power surging like a river within him, his brows furrowed slightly, showing little joy.

Too slow.

Even with a massive accumulation of resources, a speed that would be considered monstrous in the eyes of ordinary people was still too slow in his view.

More fatally, he discovered a serious problem.

His path of cultivation was simply too smooth.

Along the way, whether it was Xia Lengyue or Ye Qingcheng, they had both offered him resources that countless people dreamed of, presenting them with both hands.

All he needed to do was devour, refine, and break through.

He was like a spoiled child raised by parents with wealth rivaling a nation, possessing inexhaustible money to squander, but having never experienced the hardship of making money, let alone knowing how to use that money to create greater value.

His experience, his worldly knowledge, and his comprehension of the laws of the Heavenly Dao were all lacking by far too much.

Whenever he cultivated to a profound and obscure point, he would feel an indescribable sense of stagnation. That was a sign that his realm was improving too fast, and his state of mind and comprehension could not keep up.

"The flow of spiritual power here seems a bit off..."

Ye Xuan looked at the scroll in his hand, tapping his finger gently against his knee as he muttered to himself.

"Senior Brother, it is an issue with meridian reversal."

A voice so gentle it seemed as if water could drip from it sounded right on time beside him.

Ye Xuan turned his head.

Ye Qingcheng, or rather Ye Yage, was kneeling on a futon not far from him.

Today she wore a pale pink flowing cloud dress, making her look exceptionally charming and lovely. She held an ancient tome in her hands, but her beautiful eyes had not left Ye Xuan for even a second.

This gaze—focused, obsessed, and carrying a trace of cautious ingratiation—showed that Ye Xuan was the sole center of her world.

Seeing Ye Xuan look over, Ye Qingcheng felt a surge of joy in her heart. She quickly put down the ancient tome, shuffled closer on her knees, and pointed at the scroll in Ye Xuan's hand, explaining softly:

"Senior Brother, although the cultivation method you practice is domineering, when circulating energy to the Xuanji Acupoint, you cannot just charge forward blindly. Your previous cultivation was fast, but your foundation is slightly unstable. If you force a breakthrough now, it is easy to damage your internal organs. You should... guide the spiritual power like drawing silk from a cocoon, taking it slowly."

She stretched out her slender jade fingers, tracing lightly in the void, demonstrating the trajectory of the spiritual power.

Her movements were as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds, and the trace of Dao rhythm seeping from her fingertips was extremely profound.

Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes, looking at her serious profile.

He had to admit that although this woman was a bitch, she was, after all, a genuine almighty expert at the Tribulation Transcendence realm.

She was a Demonic Sect Empress who had truly fought her way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Her experience, her insight, and her understanding of the Great Dao left Ye Xuan in the dust by an unknown number of streets.

Under her guidance, those obscure points that had troubled Ye Xuan for a long time instantly became clear.

"So that's how it is."

Ye Xuan followed her instructions and tried circulating it for one cycle. Sure enough, the sense of stagnation disappeared. The spiritual power circulated smoothly and freely, and its power had actually increased by more than thirty percent.

"Senior Brother is so smart, understanding it with just a hint."

Ye Qingcheng looked at Ye Xuan's relaxed brows, a heartfelt smile appearing on her face.

She was genuinely happy.

This period of time was the happiest of her life.

There were no sect chores, no messy men, and no damn Xia Lengyue.

Here, there was only her and Senior Brother.

She accompanied him in cultivation, explained Daoist methods to him, and watched him grow stronger little by little.

This feeling made her absentmindedly return to a long, long time ago. Back then, they were also like this, squeezed into a dilapidated small courtyard, jointly comprehending an incomplete cultivation manual.

Although it was bitter then, her heart was full.

"Senior Brother..."

Ye Qingcheng looked at Ye Xuan's handsome side profile, an uncontrollable throb welling up in her heart.

How wonderful it would be if time could stop at this moment forever.

However, Ye Xuan's next words mercilessly shattered her fantasy.

"Although this part is resolved, the overall speed has still slowed down."

Ye Xuan withdrew his energy, his tone carrying a distinct trace of dissatisfaction and irritability. "At this rate, how long will it take for me to succeed in my cultivation?"

He didn't care whether his foundation was stable or not; what he wanted was power. Power sufficient to protect himself, and power sufficient for revenge.

Ye Qingcheng froze for a moment. Looking at the gloom in Ye Xuan's eyes, her heart tightened.

Senior Brother was unhappy.

Senior Brother thought it was too slow.

An instinctive panic surged into her heart.

If Senior Brother thought cultivating was too slow, would he think about using those radical methods again? Would he leave again? Or... would he be disappointed in her?

"Actually... Senior Brother."

Ye Qingcheng bit her lower lip, as if she had made some immense resolution.

She lifted her head, her watery eyes shimmering with a strange light. Her voice trembled slightly, carrying an almost imperceptible trace of shyness and anticipation:

"If you want to speed up your cultivation, besides relying on pills and bitter training, there is a much faster shortcut."

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile. "Oh? I am all ears."

Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath, two patches of crimson blossoming on her cheeks. Her voice became soft and sweet, like spun honey:

"My Joyous Union Sect has always entered the Dao through dual cultivation. If one can find a highly compatible Dao companion, where Yin and Yang complement each other and the dragon and phoenix sing in harmony... the speed of cultivation would be ten times, or even over a hundred times, that of ordinary meditation."

Ye Xuan sneered inwardly. This woman finally could not hold back anymore.

Of course he knew dual cultivation was fast. Especially if he dual cultivated with a Tribulation Transcendence stage powerhouse like Ye Qingcheng, his cultivation speed would absolutely skyrocket.

Even a tiny trace of pure Primal Yin leaking from between her fingers would be enough for him to directly break through several realms.

However, he pretended not to understand. His gaze swept across the hall before finally landing on Ying'er, who was currently cleaning in a corner.

"Dual cultivation, huh..."

Ye Xuan stroked his chin, a playful smirk curling the corner of his lips. He casually pointed at Ying'er. "You are right. Ying'er, come here."

Ying'er blanked for a second, then eagerly scurried over. Tossing her broom aside, she threw herself directly into Ye Xuan's embrace and called out sweetly, "Master, are you going to dual cultivate with me? Ying'er is ready!"

Ye Qingcheng's face instantly stiffened.

Her originally shy and timid expression seemed to freeze on her face, making her look comical and twisted.

An uncontrollable wave of sour jealousy and killing intent churned within her chest.

It was this wretched maid again!

"Senior Brother..." Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to slap Ying'er to death on the spot. She managed to squeeze out a smile that was uglier than crying. "Sister Ying'er... she won't do."

"Why won't she?" Ye Xuan absentmindedly played with Ying'er's hair, not even sparing Ye Qingcheng a direct glance.

Ye Qingcheng stared fixedly at Ying'er's face, her tone laced with undisguised contempt and anxiety:

"The path of dual cultivation requires partners to be evenly matched, or for one to guide the other from a higher vantage point. Sister Ying'er is merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, her spiritual energy as weak as an ant's. If Senior Brother dual cultivates with her, other than venting your desires, it will not benefit your cultivation in the slightest. In fact... her impure aura might even drag down Senior Brother's Pure Yang physique."

Ying'er barely understood what was being said, but upon hearing the word "impure," she pouted her small lips and aggrievedly buried her face deeper into Ye Xuan's chest.

Ye Xuan nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, you do make some sense."

Ye Qingcheng felt a surge of joy in her heart and quickly struck while the iron was hot.

She shifted forward, almost pressing herself against Ye Xuan's knees.

She raised her head, her stunningly beautiful eyes brimming with desire and suggestion as she spoke with a trembling voice:

"Therefore, Senior Brother... you need a Dao companion with profound cultivation and a special physique."

"Someone like... me."

Those last few words were as light as a sigh, yet they had exhausted every ounce of her courage.