Chapter 35: Cultivating Together

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Cultivating Together

"Okay, then how do we do it?" Sui Sui asked.

"Come closer and sit in front of me. I’ll explain it to you."

Yizhou gestured toward the empty space before him. Sui Sui picked up a chair and moved it closer, placing it directly in front of Yizhou before sitting down. With only a small distance separating them, he suddenly felt a little awkward under Yizhou’s calm gaze.

"Hold out your hands."

Sui Sui did as he was told, extending both hands between them with his palms facing upward.

Yizhou lowered his own hands over them, their palms pressing together. The moment their skin touched, Sui Sui felt a faint warmth seep through the contact. It was subtle and fleeting, but before he could focus on it, Yizhou spoke again.

"Close your eyes and enter your spiritual sea."

Sui Sui blinked.

He glanced down at their joined hands before looking back at Yizhou, a confused expression appearing on his face.

"How do I do that, though?" he asked.

"Just close your eyes. Do you remember the place where all your Yin Qi poured out when you unblocked your meridians?" Yizhou asked.

Sui Sui nodded and followed.

"That is where your Yin Qi gathers. Turn your consciousness inward and find that place again. Once you do, draw out a portion of the Yin qi and guide it through your meridians toward your hands. Be careful not to let it scatter along the way. When it reaches your palms, allow it to meet my Yang energy."

Although Sui Sui still did not fully understand, he followed Yizhou’s instructions.

He slowly closed his eyes and focused on the flow of qi within his body. At first, he could sense nothing but darkness. However, as his concentration deepened, faint streams of spiritual qi gradually appeared within his consciousness.

Following their flow, Sui Sui traced them deeper into his body until he finally found the place where they gathered.

An intense coldness surrounded it, as though he had stepped into the endless snow desert outside. Yet unlike the Yin qi that had violently erupted from his body while his meridians were being unblocked, this coldness was calm and familiar.

As his consciousness drew closer, Sui Sui felt an inexplicable sense of comfort, as though he had finally returned to a place that was very familiar to him.

After finding the source of his Yin qi, Sui Sui cautiously tried to draw some of the energy out and guide it in the direction Yizhou had instructed.

However, controlling it was far more difficult than he had expected. Each time he attempted to move the Yin Qi, part of it would drift away and scatter through his meridians before he could guide it any farther.

After several failed attempts, Sui Sui decided to start with a smaller amount.

He carefully gathered a portion of the Yin qi and condensed it into a small sphere. Once the energy had stabilized and no longer showed any signs of dispersing, he slowly guided it through his meridians and toward his fingertips.

The moment the small sphere of Yin qi reached his palms, it encountered another presence.

A stream of golden energy appeared before it.

Compared to the icy Yin qi, the golden energy was warm and steady. The sudden difference in their auras caused Sui Sui’s small sphere of Yin qi to instinctively retreat. However, when it became clear that the Yang energy had no intention of harming it, the Yin qi gradually drifted closer.

As though naturally drawn to one another, the two energies slowly intertwined.

The golden Yang energy wrapped around the small sphere of Yin qi, and together, they began to move in a gentle, unhurried circulation. At the same time, a steady warmth flowed through their joined hands and entered Sui Sui’s body, gradually gathering within his dantian.

Sui Sui did not know whether it was merely his imagination, but as the Yang energy continued circulating through his meridians, a strange sensation gradually spread throughout his body.

It felt as though invisible hands were slowly kneading him.

The golden energy easily enveloped his small sphere of Yin qi before flowing deeper into his body. Wherever it passed, a warm pressure followed, pressing into his muscles and working through them with slow, deliberate movements. It traveled from his shoulders down his arms, then moved across his waist and legs as though carefully loosening every part of his body.

There was no physical contact between them beyond their joined hands, yet the sensation was vivid enough that Sui Sui could almost feel unseen palms pressing and kneading against him.

The warmth continued to move through him, lingering in some places before slowly shifting to others. It curled around the back of his neck, pressed gently along his limbs, and spread through his body with an unhurried persistence, as though it were patiently familiarizing itself with every part of him.

Sui Sui’s breathing gradually became uneven.

He knew that nothing was actually touching him. It was only Yizhou’s Yang energy circulating through his meridians, yet the sensation was so distinct that he could not help becoming increasingly aware of it.

Unable to see or push away whatever was causing the strange feeling, Sui Sui could only force himself to ignore it and focus on guiding his Yin qi.

As the Yin and Yang energies continued circulating together, his consciousness gradually settled. Before he realized it, he had entered a meditative state, and the spiritual qi surrounding him began flowing into his body with far greater ease than before.

As Sui Sui gradually emerged from his meditative state, he noticed a subtle change within his body.

The spiritual qi flowing through his meridians had become noticeably smoother, and the pathways themselves seemed to have widened slightly. After carefully examining his cultivation, Sui Sui realized that he had advanced another two levels.

The realization caught Sui Sui completely off guard.

He had only expected the cultivation session to help him stabilize his newly unblocked meridians. At most, he thought he might make a little progress with Yizhou’s guidance and the abundant spiritual qi within the cave.

He had never imagined that he would be able to advance to Qi Refining Level Five so quickly.

For several moments, Sui Sui remained still, his mind blank with disbelief. Only after the excitement slowly began to sink in did the corners of his lips lift.

Of course, compared to Yizhou’s achievements, his progress was still far from extraordinary.

In the novel, Yizhou had first begun cultivating at the age of eleven. On his very first attempt, he had advanced directly to Qi Refining Level Six. Then only three months later, he successfully entered the Foundation Establishment Realm.

There were twelve stages within the Qi Refining Realm, and each stage became increasingly difficult to advance through. Even cultivators with good innate talent generally required one to three years to reach Foundation Establishment.

Those with poorer aptitude might spend more than ten years attempting to break through, while some would even remain trapped in the Qi Refining Realm for their entire lives.

With that comparison, it was easy to understand why Yizhou had been regarded as an unparalleled genius.

As for himself, Sui Sui did not have particularly high expectations.

Although reaching Qi Refining Level Five so soon was beyond anything he had anticipated, he believed that much of it was due to the favorable conditions around him.

The cave was filled with an abundance of spiritual qi, and Yizhou had personally guided him through the Yin-Yang Heavenly Circulation Manual. Without those advantages, his progress would likely have been much slower.

Besides, this body had originally belonged to a minor side character. Being able to cultivate at all was already enough for Sui Sui.

What he did not realize was that favorable conditions alone were not enough to produce such rapid progress. If his constitution and innate talent had truly been poor, no amount of spiritual qi or external assistance would have allowed him to advance so quickly.

Moreover, unlike most cultivators, Sui Sui had never received years of training or guidance. Everything he knew about cultivation had come from the books he had read, and until now, he had been forced to figure out much of it on his own.

Yet despite all of that, he had reached Qi Refining Level Five in a single session.

When Sui Sui slowly opened his eyes again, several hours had already passed.

His consciousness was still somewhat hazy from meditation, but the first thing that entered his sight was Yizhou’s face.

The other man remained seated directly across from him, his posture relaxed and his eyes closed. His long lashes rested quietly against his face, making him appear unusually calm. Even after seeing that face countless times, Sui Sui still had to admit that Yizhou was undeniably handsome.

Truly worthy of being the person he admired most in the novel.

He found himself staring for a little longer than necessary.

"Does Junior Brother like my face that much?"

Yizhou suddenly spoke, Sui Sui was startled and immediately looked away.

"Are you already done?" he asked, pretending that he had not been staring at all.

"I finished a while ago. I was only meditating while waiting for you."

Yizhou slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked at Sui Sui, though it was difficult to tell whether he had truly been meditating or had simply been waiting for Sui Sui to open his eyes.

"So?" he asked. "What do you think? This method is quite effective, isn’t it?"

Sui Sui fell silent into a deep thought, although the process had been strange—and the feeling of Yizhou’s Yang energy circulating through his body was still difficult to forget—he could not deny the results. In only a few hours, he had advanced from Qi Refining Level Three to Level Five.

Even if he did not want to give Yizhou the satisfaction of hearing it, Sui Sui had no choice but to nod.

"It’s effective," he admitted. "As expected of an ancient cultivation technique."

The smile on Yizhou’s lips deepened slightly. "Since Junior Brother is satisfied, then we’ll continue practicing it from now on."

Sui Sui blinked. "From now on?"

"Yes, unless something important comes up, we’ll cultivate together regularly. Of course, that will be in addition to your usual blood offerings." Yizhou spoke as though he were merely informing Sui Sui of an arrangement that had already been decided.

Sui Sui opened his mouth, intending to say something, but after seeing the calm certainty in Yizhou’s expression, he realized that the other man had never been asking for his opinion in the first place.

It seemed that his cultivation sessions had just gained another permanent addition.