With Lady Moira Drake and young Isla departed alongside Grandmother, Butterfly Valley fell silent at last. The night air was heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, the stillness broken only by the faint trickle of a distant stream.
Lilith Stormbane slipped closer, her raven-dark hair brushing Liam Ardent's shoulder as she whispered, "Brother Liam… now it is just the two of us in this valley."
Her voice was soft, but there was a tremor beneath it—an unspoken invitation.
For a heartbeat, Liam hesitated. The System rewards still shimmered in his mind: the Heavenly Reliquary Sword, the Snowpiercing Palm, the Supreme Experience Pills. Power surged through him like a rising tide. Yet in this quiet, it was not the System's cold light that consumed him, but the warmth of the girl before him—fierce, devoted, unflinching.
He turned, pulling her into his arms. Lilith gasped softly, her slender frame pressed against his chest, her heartbeat racing against his own. Without another word, he guided her toward the small cottage nestled beneath the trees.
Inside, the world shrank to the sound of their breaths. Liam's hands traced the curve of her back, then slid lower, claiming her waist. Lilith's cheeks burned, but she did not resist—she tilted her head back, lips parting as though surrendering herself completely.
When he kissed her, she trembled. His mouth moved against hers with hunger and certainty, drawing from her soft gasps and yielding sighs. His fingers tugged at the ties of her robe, loosening them one by one. Silk slid from her shoulders, baring pale skin that gleamed in the lamplight.
"Brother Liam…" she whispered, half plea, half devotion, as his lips trailed down her throat. Her fingers clutched at his tunic, tugging it open until his bare chest pressed against hers. Skin met skin, heat mingled with heat, and the thin line between restraint and desire shattered.
The bed creaked beneath them as he laid her down. His hands roamed—along the rise of her chest, the curve of her hip, the smoothness of her thigh. Each touch drew a gasp, a shiver, a desperate arch of her body seeking his.
Her robe slipped fully aside, revealing the delicate swell of her breasts, her stomach rising and falling with nervous breath. Liam's palm traced her curves with both reverence and hunger. Lilith, though trembling, lifted her arms to draw him closer, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "I am yours… always yours."
When he entered her, her cry filled the room—pain and surrender entwined. She clutched at him desperately, nails digging into his shoulders, her body taut with the shock of the moment. Liam held her tightly, murmuring reassurances against her hair, steadying her as her resistance melted into warmth.
Soon her cries softened into moans, her body yielding fully, moving with his. The rhythm between them grew urgent, consuming, until the valley outside seemed to fade into nothingness.
Their breaths came ragged, their bodies entwined in sweat and heat. At last, with a shuddering cry, Lilith clung to him, her devotion sealed not by words, but by the bond of flesh and spirit.
System Update
[Dual Cultivation Initiated – Experience +50,000]
[Lilith Stormbane's Devotion Strengthened]
[Charm +5]
When the storm of passion ebbed, Lilith lay curled against his chest, her lashes damp, her breath soft and even. She had crossed from girl to woman, her innocence surrendered not with regret, but with unbreakable loyalty.
Liam rose quietly once she slept, his body still thrumming with both exhaustion and newfound strength. Tonight's intimacy had not merely been pleasure—it was power, a step further on his endless path.
He retrieved his System rewards.
System Update
[Supreme Experience Pills ×3 – Consumed]
[Experience Bottle – Consumed]
[Snowpiercing Palm – Mastered]
System Update – Status Panel
Name: Liam Ardent
Level: 8
Internal Energy: 30,000 (First-Rate Expert, Initial Stage)
Experience: 80,000 / 128,000
Storage: Growth Package ×1 (Unopenable), Golden-Silver Talisman ×1
Silver: 10,000
Weapon: Heavenly Reliquary Sword (King-Class Divine Weapon)
Skills: Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil (Incomplete), Snowpiercing Palm (Golden Manual), Flying Serpent Duel (Golden Manual), Meridian Scripture of Noon & Midnight (Golden Manual), Thousand-Remedy Codex (Golden Manual)…
Liam exhaled slowly, the strength coursing through his body like fire in his veins. From a hunted youth, he had ascended in mere months to the ranks of first-rate experts. Yet a faint unease lingered—power gained so quickly carried its own dangers.
Still, the System's voice beckoned.
"System Store," he murmured.
A new panel unfurled before his eyes:
System Store – Available Items
[Hero Experience Card (Top-Tier) – 10,000 Silver]
[Supreme Expert Experience Card – 100,000 Silver]
[Diamond Training Card – 10,000 Silver]
[King-Grade Training Card – 50,000 Silver]
[One-Glance Affection Card – 100,000 Silver]
[Triple Cultivation Card – 50,000 Silver]
[Experience Bottle – 100,000 Silver]
[Supreme Elixir – 10,000 Silver]
…and countless more.
Liam scrolled through, his heart pounding. Weapons, elixirs, techniques—the System held treasures beyond imagination. But the prices were staggering. His ten thousand silver suddenly felt like the coin-pouch of a beggar. He shut the store with a sigh.
For now, even survival demands caution.
Morning came. Lilith awoke at his side, her face flushed with shy pride. When Liam told her of his decision, she nodded without hesitation.
"Where you go, I will follow."
Liam's gaze turned northward, toward the distant peaks of Kunlun. "The Nine Suns Divine Skill, the Heaven and Earth Great Shift… both trace their roots to Kunlun Mountain. If I am to rise above Jianghu, I must seize them."
Butterfly Valley lay in Anhui's northern reaches. To reach Kunlun, they would need to cross half the land, through plains, rivers, and mountains. They packed dried rations, bound their weapons, and set out at dawn.
For days they traveled, the road winding beneath them. By the time they reached the Han River, the late sun was bleeding into the waters, dyeing the current red-gold. Liam and Lilith prepared to board a ferry when a voice bellowed across the waves:
"Stop the boat! Hand over the child, and the Buddha will spare your lives. Refuse, and you will meet mercy in death!"
The words cracked like thunder. Boatmen froze in terror. Lilith's hand gripped Liam's sleeve, her eyes wide.
Liam's fingers closed around the hilt of the Heavenly Reliquary Sword. A storm brewed on the river, and Jianghu would not let him pass quietly.
Glossary – Chapter 23
Supreme Experience Pill – System item. Each pill grants 10,000 experience instantly upon use.
Experience Bottle – System item. When consumed, grants 100,000 experience instantly.
Snowpiercing Palm – Golden-grade martial art. A palm strike that pierces layered defenses, delivering freezing energy into an opponent's meridians and slowing their movements.
Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil – Signature strike of Lord Aelric Skyblade. A peerless sword technique that descends with overwhelming power as though from the heavens. Liam can temporarily access it through the Skyblade Experience Card and is beginning to comprehend it independently.
Flying Serpent Duel – Golden-grade martial technique. Simulates the coiling strikes of serpents and the soaring dives of hawks. Effective for sudden bursts of attack and defense.
Meridian Scripture of Noon & Midnight (Ziwu Acupuncture Canon) – Golden-grade medical-cultivation manual. Allows precise control of meridians and acupuncture points for both healing and combat disruption.
Thousand-Remedy Codex – Golden-grade compendium of medicinal lore. Records countless herbs, their properties, and alchemical uses.
Heavenly Reliquary Sword – King-Class Divine Weapon, formerly wielded by Mother Clarisse Hale of Emei Sect. Said to govern fate itself. Now bound to Liam Ardent as its master.
System Store – A new System feature unlocked after defeating Mother Clarisse Hale. Allows the purchase of rare items with silver, ranging from training cards to divine treasures.
Hero Experience Card – System item. Temporarily grants Liam the martial power of a randomly assigned top-tier hero for three minutes.
Supreme Expert Experience Card – System item. Temporarily grants Liam the martial power of a randomly assigned supreme-level martial master for three minutes.
Diamond Training Card – System item. Allows Liam to bypass normal cultivation requirements and instantly train a Diamond-grade manual.
King-Grade Training Card – System item. Allows Liam to bypass cultivation barriers to learn a King-class technique or scripture.
One-Glance Affection Card – System item. Instantly raises the Favorability of a target (with lower cultivation than Liam) to 100, binding their devotion permanently.
Triple Cultivation Card – System item. Enhances the effects of dual cultivation, granting threefold energy gain and affinity boosts for both participants.
Kunlun Mountains – A vast and sacred mountain range in western China, renowned in Jianghu lore. Within Kunlun lies the legacy of countless martial traditions, including the Nine Suns Divine Skill (a scripture of boundless inner energy) and the Heaven and Earth Great Shift (a supreme movement technique of the Ming Cult).
Nine Suns Divine Skill – A supreme internal energy cultivation technique. Known for its immense recovery, explosive inner strength, and healing potential.
Heaven and Earth Great Shift (Qiankun Da Nuo Yi) – A legendary movement and energy-shifting technique, allowing the user to redirect force, invert attacks, and manipulate qi flow in battle.
Jianghu – Literally "Rivers and Lakes." Refers to the martial world: a society of wandering heroes, sects, and rivalries, where strength, loyalty, and reputation matter more than law.
Lilith Stormbane – Eternal Companion – Daughter of Lord Cedric Stormbane. Once scarred and tormented, she has now pledged herself completely to Liam Ardent. Her Favorability has reached 100, binding her fate to him as his life-long companion.
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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