The alchemy chamber smelled faintly of crushed lotus seeds and warm spiritual herbs.
The fragrance lingered in the air, gentle and calming, yet heavy with concentration—like a place that had absorbed years of silent breakthroughs and unspoken resolve.
The space was quiet.
Dim.
Intimate.
Mei Lingling sat cross-legged before him, her back straight and graceful, white robes draped neatly over her legs. Her breathing was slow and controlled, but the qi within her was anything but calm. It surged and ebbed beneath her skin, making her aura shimmer faintly, like the surface of water trembling on the verge of boiling.
Her qi sea was close.
Dangerously close.
Xuanyan sat behind her, posture steady despite the fatigue tugging at his limbs. Both palms rested gently against the center of her back, just above her spiritual core, careful and precise. He didn't press too hard. He didn't rush. Every movement was measured, deliberate—guided not only by instinct, but by the system quietly feeding him streams of impossibly pure spiritual energy.
Energy that did not belong to this world.
A thin sheen of sweat had formed at his temples. His breathing remained even, but his mind buzzed faintly, half from concentration and half from the absurdity of the situation.
Poor me, he thought dryly.
Corrupted, questionably moral, and now functioning as a high-grade spiritual battery.
The energy flowed.
Slowly at first.
Then steadier.
It passed through his palms and into her meridians like clear water poured into a cracked vessel—washing away residue, smoothing rough edges, reinforcing pathways that had once been fragile. Mei Lingling's body responded instinctively, her breathing deepening as her cultivation technique adjusted to the unfamiliar purity.
A faint sound escaped her lips.
Not a word.
Just a breath—slightly unsteady.
Xuanyan froze for half a heartbeat before forcing himself to focus. This was not the time to lose control. He adjusted the flow immediately, thinning it, stabilizing it, guiding it toward her dantian instead of letting it flood unchecked.
"Steady," he murmured quietly. His voice was low, close to her ear, though he did not lean forward. "Don't resist it. Let it circulate."
She nodded faintly, eyes still closed.
"I… I know," she whispered back, though her voice betrayed how intense the sensation felt. Her fingers curled lightly against her knees, knuckles whitening as she re-centered herself.
The chamber remained silent after that.
Only the soft hum of spiritual energy filled the space.
Minutes stretched into hours.
Xuanyan didn't know exactly when his reserves ran dry. Only that, at some point, the flow slowed naturally, tapering off as her body reached saturation. His palms tingled faintly, numb from prolonged transfer, and his legs felt stiff when he finally eased back.
Mei Lingling, on the other hand, looked unreal.
Her entire body emitted a faint, warm glow, qi cycling smoothly around her like a halo barely visible to the naked eye. Her breathing had evened out completely now, deep and calm, the unstable tremor in her aura gone.
She didn't move.
Didn't open her eyes.
Xuanyan quietly stood, stepping away without making a sound. He leaned against the far wall, arms folded loosely, watching her—not out of desire this time, but caution. Breakthroughs were delicate things. Distraction at the wrong moment could ruin everything.
Two full hours passed.
When the glow finally faded and her qi settled into a stable rhythm, Xuanyan exhaled a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Only then did the door close softly behind him as he left the chamber, giving her space to finish stabilizing on her own.
The moment the latch clicked shut, the system chimed.
[Mission Completed]
•Rewards Obtained:
• 500 System Points
• Passive Skill Unlocked — Yin-Compatible Physique
Allows you to cultivate faster near Yin-type female cultivators.
A warm current swept through his body, subtle but unmistakable, like a dormant mechanism snapping into place. Xuanyan leaned back against the stone wall, rubbing his neck slowly.
"What a day," he muttered under his breath.
Meating a Protagonist, spending good time with jade beauty and the best part he was getting reward for that, he smile while looking toward heaven, i wonder what type of life i will live here .
The thought lingered only briefly.
He slapped his own cheek—lightly, but firmly.
"Focus," he told himself. "It's only been two days."
Then he turned and walked back toward his own residence, already planning his next cultivation cycle.
After reaching home, he didn't waste a single moment.
Xuanyan shut the door behind him and immediately sat down to cultivate.
His room was as empty as ever.
Perfect for cultivation.
Terrible for living.
He folded his legs, straightened his posture, and closed his eyes. With a slow breath, his consciousness slipped inward, sinking into the familiar abyss of meditation.
Time lost its shape.
Minutes blurred into hours.
Hours stretched thin and quiet.
The world outside faded until it no longer mattered.
When he finally opened his eyes again, night had already devoured the sky. Cold moonlight spilled through the window like a blade of silver, cutting across the floor and stopping at his feet.
"How long?" Xuanyan asked quietly.
The system responded.
"Eighteen—"
Xuanyan choked.
Then he laughed, the sound low and slightly unhinged, hovering somewhere between disbelief and amusement.
Two entire realms in three days.
The kind of progress that would make any elder cough blood from jealousy.
Insane.
But Qi Condensation itself wasn't complicated. It was only accumulation, purification, and reinforcement. With a spiritual container refined to near perfection and the system feeding him pure-grade energy, the result was inevitable.
And there was another factor.
His talent was still low.
Which meant he needed less spiritual energy to advance.
He washed his face, wiped the lingering sweat from his brow, and looked at himself in the mirror.
" Qi Condensation Stage Four."
Outer-sect trash?
Not anymore.
Stage Four was the true threshold. From this point on, he was no longer a nameless cultivator scraping by. He could choose a path. Learn proper techniques. Compete for resources. Accept missions beyond the sect walls.
He let his awareness sink inward, examining the changes carved into his body.
The first thing he noticed made his lips twitch.
His charm stat had increased.
His mortal body had reached a level of physical refinement that made him look dangerous even when he wasn't trying. Without using qi at all, he could overpower ordinary mortals with ease. Even cultivators below his realm would think twice before provoking him.
Low-grade qi techniques could now be executed at their absolute limit.
Mid-grade techniques—once lethal to his own meridians—were finally usable.
Outwardly, not much had changed.
Internally, everything had.
His qi pool had nearly doubled in size, denser and purer than before. His meridians felt tougher, wider… almost hungry, as if eager to devour more energy and push him further.
Satisfied, Xuanyan lay down and let sleep claim him.
Morning came quickly.
The moment he woke, his stomach roared with the authority of a starving beast.
He dressed, stretched, and headed toward the Silver Bamboo Meal House.
As he walked, he reviewed his situation.
He still had around 380 system points.
Enough to help Mei Lingling reach her breakthrough faster. According to the system, she needed three more days to reach Stage Seven.
But things were different now.
He was no longer hopelessly behind.
Barely—but he had reached a level comparable to those blessed by fate.
He couldn't afford to waste points recklessly anymore.
Approaching important women wasn't simple. They were surrounded by geniuses, handsome rivals, noble clans, and political alliances. Women who should have been completely out of reach for an outer-sect nobody.
Yet they always fell for those favored by heaven.
For him?
He needed status.
Skill.
Reputation.
"I need to enter the Inner Sect," Xuanyan muttered. "Or create my own opportunities."
Otherwise, he would miss most of the chances meant for heaven-favored figures—opportunities guarded by overwhelming combat power or absurd luck.
Points gained through women were the fastest path forward.
But directly approaching them was like walking into a nest of phoenixes guarded by dragons.
He needed power first.
He needed standing.
He needed—
"You are courting death!"
The shout echoed across the courtyard, sharp and sudden.
Xuanyan stopped.
Slowly, a smile spread across his face.
Xuanyan: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
"Interesting."