Chapter 68: Senior Sister Li Yao’s Favorability Soars!

Not long after Yu Wan left, Cao Xuan gradually regained his composure and steadied his mind. In cultivation, the nine great realms were: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refining, Integration, Great Ascension, and finally, the Tribulation Crossing stage. He had only just barely reached the second realm, Foundation Establishment—it was merely the true beginning of cultivation. What reason did he have to be so arrogant and think cultivation was nothing special?

“Junior brother, have you finished your epiphany?” Li Yao looked at him, a trace of envy in her eyes. The spiritual energy surrounding her was still chaotic, unable to fully conceal the aura of late-stage Foundation Establishment. Yet Cao Xuan, through his moment of insight, had already stabilized his cultivation; she could sense no fluctuation at all from him.

“Yes, senior sister, I’ve finished my realization. By the way, senior sister, you’ve perfected the ‘Runic Cloud Art,’ haven’t you…” Cao Xuan replied instinctively, but was immediately interrupted.

“Yes, yes, I’ve perfected it!” Li Yao answered hastily, somewhat flustered, and Cao Xuan didn’t quite understand at first. Then, to his surprise, Li Yao pressed herself against him, guiding his hand to her chest.

“Junior brother, I told you before—if you help me break through, I’ll fulfill your request! If you’re not satisfied, we can go again, but you can’t change your mind and ask me to draw more talismans…”

Cao Xuan forced a wry smile. To his senior sister, asking her to draw five hundred talismans was a fate worse than death. Suddenly, he understood why, in his previous life, some people would rather laze around to earn money than work regular jobs—the difference in effort was obvious.

But Cao Xuan grew serious. “Senior sister, as a woman cultivator, you must treasure your body. You shouldn’t let other male cultivators touch you so casually!”

Senior Sister Li Yao’s lack of concern was both a virtue and a flaw; Cao Xuan had no wish to one day end up a cuckold. Unexpectedly, after he spoke, Li Yao’s gaze went out of focus and she muttered, “From now on, my body is for junior brother only… no one else.”

Cao Xuan stared in surprise, a sudden thought crossing his mind. He quickly glanced at his status panel.

“Could it be that her affection has surpassed ninety?”

[Ding~ Li Yao and the host have both broken through to late Foundation Establishment. Emotional fluctuations are intense; affection +10.]

[Ding~ Li Yao’s current affection is 90; you’ve earned a lottery draw!]

Well now—he’d maxed out her affection all at once. With Lin Miaoxuan and Chen Qianru, he’d had to win them over slowly with gifts, gradually raising their affection. But with Li Yao, he’d only known her for a few days. Being her junior brother gave him a head start—her initial affection was already forty or fifty.

Reaching ninety so quickly, of course, dual cultivation played a part.

But unraveling the secret of the cultivation art and helping her break through were also major factors. At that moment, Cao Xuan suddenly understood: in this world, strength reigned supreme. Whether it was giving pills or guidance on techniques, both boiled down to improving one’s cultivation. Some powerful cultivators, for the sake of advancing just one minor realm, would cast aside all reservations—some would even go so far as to dual cultivate, or do things even more outrageous.

As he pondered, Cao Xuan suddenly felt hot breaths on his face and realized his senior sister’s cheeks were flushed. His hands, seemingly out of control, left him embarrassed. He swore it was the fault of the traditional robes—they offered too little protection, letting his hands have their way far too easily.

“Junior brother… I feel a bit hot. Must be a side effect of the breakthrough,” Li Yao stammered.

Cao Xuan quickly withdrew his fingers—there was a soft “pop”—and Li Yao’s legs gave out, leaving her sitting on the floor in an awkward heap. Cao Xuan shook his head; after breaking through Foundation Establishment, the downside was that the so-called sage’s time was all too brief. In his previous life, by this point he’d be contemplating the dawn of humanity or the birth of the universe, but now, here he was, full of energy again—what madness.

He hadn’t considered that both he and Li Yao were late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. In his past life, there was a saying: “There are only exhausted oxen, never ruined fields”—meaning that in this respect, women recovered far more quickly than men, and Li Yao at Foundation Establishment was even more formidable.

“What are you doing, senior sister?” he asked as he shook his head, only to see Li Yao, sitting in an undignified pose, sneakily turn around, raise her skirt, and offer herself up.

Catching his gaze, Li Yao stopped at once, pouting. “Junior brother, I don’t think my realm is quite stable yet!”

Cao Xuan covered his face—how could he not understand her intentions?

“Senior sister, do you need my help to circulate the ‘Runic Cloud Art’ again? Perhaps two cycles of the Great Circulation to stabilize your realm?”

A blush crept up Li Yao’s cheeks. “Something like that, yes.”

But then she composed herself. “Junior brother, you should be at late Foundation Establishment now too!” The sense of duty as senior sister returned to her face. “Quickly, let me help you stabilize your realm!”

Cao Xuan watched his senior sister lying on the floor, putting on an earnest expression.

If only he had glasses, he might be acting just like Jack from those infamous videos.

“I really can’t say no to you. Let me have a look!”

With a startled cry, Li Yao pitched forward, and it was only thanks to Cao Xuan’s quick reflexes that she didn’t fall flat.

Ten thousand words omitted.

…

Half a month had passed by the time he returned to his own cave-dwelling. In truth, his and Li Yao’s abodes were not far apart, both situated on the Talisman Peak. With Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could have covered the distance in the blink of an eye. Yet he had dawdled for a quarter of an hour, his legs still weak—no other reason, he simply wanted to take a walk.

He slapped himself. “Serves you right! If you weren’t such a glutton, eager to try new positions, now senior sister has learned them all!”

Foundation Establishment cultivators truly transcended the ordinary—profound cultivation, agile minds, able to deduce from one example to many. Especially with the ability to float, the possibilities for maneuvering were endless. Cao Xuan even managed to replicate some moves from risqué anime, stunts impossible for normal humans but now within his reach.

“A girl who’s tasted sweetness is truly terrifying! Still, my cultivation has advanced considerably.”

He noticed he had made progress on his late-stage Foundation Establishment base. “A pity this true essence still needs further refinement.”

He and Li Yao hadn’t just fooled around—they had truly been “dual cultivating.” The efficiency of one or two Great Circulations in cultivation was worlds apart. With the “Heavenly Talisman Codex” and the “Runic Cloud Art” sharing certain similarities, their combined practice yielded twice the results for half the effort.

Most importantly, Cao Xuan could transform into a Heavenly Talisman, while Li Yao had condensed her natal talisman. Both could operate independently, granting them the leisure to experiment with other techniques in between cultivation.

However, the spiritual energy and true essence produced by two cycles of the Great Circulation, though pure, also carried traces of each other’s aura. Thus, the true essence within both their bodies was at once pure yet not, for each bore the other’s mark.

This was the main reason they had chosen to separate for now. If they continued dual cultivating, their true essence would become entirely blended. From then on, they would have to cultivate together, cast spells together, or else their techniques would become sluggish and lack fluency.

“At least I’ve discovered this. It’s clear now—dual cultivation is a fine method, but it shouldn’t be overindulged. Individual cultivation remains essential!”