Chapter 309 - 308: A Feeling Beyond Cognition

The Duel was set for three days later, to be overseen by a designated Elder. Today, Jiang Qiu followed Snow on a quick tour of the area around Elder Bell Fish’s mountain peak, not venturing far.

This small glimpse was enough to understand the general structure of the Hundred Ghosts Sect.

The Sect currently had a total of one hundred and eight regular Elders. These were the type who presided over their own mountain peaks, took on disciples, and were primarily responsible for their instruction.

There was little difference in authority among these Elders. They typically took a hands-off approach to raising their disciples, delegating the teaching of Martial Arts to their Direct or Elite Disciples and letting them cultivate on their own—much like tending a garden.

Take Ghost Head, for example. An Elite Disciple had taught him a portion of the Hundred Ghosts Communication Technique, and he was then left to find a place to meditate and cultivate on his own.

Within the Hundred Ghosts Sect, one could cultivate anywhere. Aside from the Elders’ palaces, no single location had a particularly dense concentration of Nether Dark Spirit Charm.

In fact, cultivating out in the open was even more effective.

The primary Cultivation Resource for Elite Disciples and above was something called Nether Dark Ore. The allotments were small; even with his status as a Direct Disciple born from the Yin Yang Summoned Life, Jiang Qiu was only given ten pounds.

And those ten pounds were meant to be a three-year supply for cultivation.

"Here, see if you can absorb this Nether Dark Ore."

Jiang Qiu took a fist-sized black crystal from his storage space, eyeing Snow with curiosity.

Ever since he arrived in this world via the Yin Yang Summoned Life, the contents of his old Storage Ring had been transferred into a special internal space. It was the equivalent of a 10-by-10-meter room, giving it a considerable volume.

Treasures like his Chuyuan spear and the Little Ice Realm Array Disc were stored inside, hidden from view.

This seemed to be a trait of those native to this world—possessing a moderately-sized internal space.

The Cultivation Resources Bell Fish had given him were all stored in this space.

"Is all of this for me to absorb?"

Snow carefully took the Nether Dark Ore from Jiang Qiu’s hands. Her eyes gleamed; she had only ever seen this kind of Cultivation Resource before, never once touched it.

Elder Bell Fish was new, so she currently had only one Direct Disciple—Bai Mo. She didn’t have many Elite Disciples under her either, only about two hundred, and the amount of Nether Dark Ore they were allotted was minuscule. Over three years, they received only a single piece, barely the size of a thumb.

"Of course," Jiang Qiu explained. "Only by absorbing this essence and continuously performing Refinement on the Nether Dark Spirit Charm can you grow strong enough to defeat Ghost Head. Besides, you’re the Cultivation Dish bound to me. If you don’t practice cultivation, what was the point of binding you?"

Hearing this, Snow grew anxious. "Oh, okay! I’ll cultivate."

Without another word, she closed her eyes and began to absorb the essence within the Nether Dark Ore. In the span of a single thought, streams of light spilled from the black crystal, swirling around her slender hands before entering her body.

The Nether Dark Spirit Charm was visibly undergoing Refinement by her.

Her speed was by no means slow. Even Jiang Qiu could distinctly feel a portion of the Spirit Charm quietly being shared with his own body. It was nearly as fast as his own cultivation rate back when he used to soak in the Nine Great Hot Springs.

The main reason for that had been the incredibly rich Fiery Flame Spirit Charm in the hot springs, which, combined with his system’s absorption, resulted in unparalleled speed.

Yet here was Snow, practically cultivating for the first time, slurping up Nether Dark Spirit Charm like it was a bowl of noodles. Her Talent was astonishing.

’Looks like the stories of her unparalleled genius weren’t just talk,’ Jiang Qiu thought. ’For some specific reason, she couldn’t cultivate before. Now that she’s bound to me as a Cultivation Dish, her Talent is on full display.’

With this thought, Jiang Qiu felt a sense of relief. It seemed his plan to better infiltrate the Hundred Ghosts Sect was now on solid ground.

’But at the moment, the cultivation state between me and Snow hasn’t even reached the initial phase. Progress seems slow. At this rate, is it even possible for Snow to reach the Spirit Body Realm in three days?’

’It’s not a major issue. When the time comes, I can just leave a bit of my power with Snow, and she’ll be able to kill Ghost Head in an instant.’

’The only thing I can’t figure out is how to perfect this "cultivation" state between us.’

’Should I just wait it out? Let Snow continue her cultivation, transfer the Spirit Charm to me, and slowly strengthen our connection that way?’

’Whatever. I’ll just go with this for now. First, I’ll let Snow focus on her cultivation...’

As the thought settled, Jiang Qiu sat cross-legged on the bedroom floor. He took the backs of Snow’s hands in his, holding the Nether Dark Ore together with her, and closed his eyes to begin cultivating according to the Hundred Ghosts Communication Technique.

It was a special Cultivation Technique; when the Cultivation Dish was cultivating, he too could absorb the Nether Dark Spirit Charm in a strange, complementary way, making the process more efficient.

In essence, it boosted Snow’s Spirit Charm absorption efficiency.

’Snow’s hands are so small and ice-cold,’ he mused. ’It feels as if she just pulled them out of a pool filled with Nether Dark Spirit Charm. Fascinating.’

’And the moment I grasped her hands, I could clearly feel our connection deepening. The Cultivation Dish state is solidifying.’

’Keep going.’

"..."

BA-DUMP, BA-DUMP, BA-DUMP.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Snow quietly opened her eyes a sliver, her gaze peeking through the mask’s eyeholes—which shifted with her will—to steal a glance at Jiang Qiu. A fiery spark seemed to shoot from her heart straight to her Celestial Spirit Acupoint, and her face flushed hot and tingly.

In ten years, she had almost never had such close, hand-in-hand contact with anyone, aside from perhaps being held by the Elders when she was just a baby.

Now that she was older and her awareness of the world had grown, she could understand many things, but she had never again experienced such skin-to-skin contact with another person.

In truth, this world didn’t place much importance on the physical body, nor did it emphasize gender differences. Physical contact was usually just that—simple, necessary contact. No one would have found it strange.

The only exception was attempting to remove someone’s mask.

Any other action wasn’t considered offensive; it was all very mundane.

But right now, merely having her hands enveloped by Senior Brother Bai Mo’s sent a jolt through her entire body, as if her soul, dormant for ten years, had suddenly found where it belonged.

In the worldview of the Yin Yang Great Realm, this was an inexplicable feeling that defied all understanding...

’Perhaps it’s because I’m Senior Brother Bai Mo’s Cultivation Dish that I’m having such a strange feeling?’ she wondered.

This explanation for the strange sensation warmed Snow’s heart. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she felt as if her connection to him had grown even closer.

’But... does this feeling get stronger the longer we’re in contact?’

’Or is it only when we’re holding hands?’

All sorts of speculations sprouted like mushrooms after a spring rain, but Snow forcefully suppressed them. She didn’t dare offend or disturb her Senior Brother.

’I have to be a well-behaved, obedient Cultivation Dish to survive in this world. I absolutely cannot overstep my bounds.’

’I finally have a chance to cultivate, and I have to cherish it. What if, one day, my Senior Brother becomes unhappy with something I do and decides to use Refinement on me and find a new Cultivation Dish? Then... then there would be nothing I could do...’