In the cinema room, the intense scenes on the big screen had passed, but Wan Yunting and Lu Xiaodie were acting out a sequel. One held the armrest of the chair, the other leaned back tightly against it, kissing passionately, feeling each other's rapid breaths and pounding heartbeats...
"Wait..."
Finally unable to catch her breath, Lu Xiaodie pushed Wan Yunting away with her hand. He snapped back to attention, quickly retracted, and apologized, "Sorry, Sister Lu, I..."
Lu Xiaodie's face flushed as her heart pounded. In her dazed state, she couldn't help but purse her red lips, as if savoring the indescribable feeling of her first kiss. Her pretty face turned shy, and she slightly raised her beautiful eyes. In the dim light, she looked at the nervous Wan Yunting before her and suddenly laughed, "Yunting, teach me dual cultivation!"
Wan Yunting, who was already tense about his impulsiveness and thinking about how to apologize to Lu Xiaodie, opened his eyes wide at her words and gasped. He looked at Lu Xiaodie in disbelief. She stood up and said directly, "Like Shuyun, teach me dual cultivation. I want to break through to the late stage of Huajin, okay?"
"This..."
Wan Yunting's eyes widened in shock, making him involuntarily take two steps back, stammering, "This isn't good...?"
Seeing his shocked expression, Lu Xiaodie became embarrassed again. She pouted, glared at him fiercely with her beautiful eyes, and stamped her foot, huffing, "Fine if you don't agree, I'll just take it back..."
"It's not that, Sister Lu, don't be angry..."
Seeing her about to turn and leave angrily, Wan Yunting quickly grabbed her wrist and said with a wry smile, "You suddenly proposed dual cultivation with me, I just didn't react in time."
Lu Xiaodie turned her head, her beautiful eyes glancing at him, pouting her lips charmingly, "So, you agree?"
"I..."
Wan Yunting scratched his head and said, "Dual cultivation is fine, as long as you..."
"Don't worry, I will absolutely not interfere with your relationship with your girlfriend. Like Shuyun, you are our dual cultivation tool!" Lu Xiaodie said excitedly, having made up her mind.
*She thought: I've been single for so many years anyway, and this younger brother is handsome and good at martial arts, so I'll just go along with it...*
"Okay, then let's go to the room upstairs."
Wan Yunting nodded and led Lu Xiaodie out of the cinema room to the basement, to a bedroom...
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps he liked Lu Xiaodie, that made Wan Yunting impulsively kiss her just now. And now, he had become her dual cultivation tool again...
In the room, Lu Xiaodie was both expectant and excited, asking how to practice dual cultivation, and how it was done...
Wan Yunting also seriously explained to her how to practice dual cultivation. The two naturally began practicing in the bedroom...
However, on the second floor, Li Shuyun had just finished her practice and gotten out of bed to take a bath. She walked out of her room to the second-floor living room and looked towards Wan Yunting's bedroom. Seeing that the door was not closed and the light was still on, Li Shuyun stood at the door and knew he wasn't in his room. She raised her eyebrows and slowly went up to the third floor, to Lu Xiaodie's room. The door was also open and the light was on, but no one was there...
Curious, Li Shuyun went downstairs directly to the first floor. By this time, the main lights in the living room were off, and neither Wan Yunting nor Lu Xiaodie were in sight. So, she continued down to the basement and finally heard movement in a bedroom!
Li Shuyun approached the door. It was tightly closed, but the commotion inside was significant. She could hear Lu Xiaodie's various strange moans and gasps...
Aware of what was happening, Li Shuyun's brow only slightly furrowed. The calm expression on her face finally showed a trace of change, but it instantly returned to its usual indifferent demeanor, and she turned and left...
At six o'clock in the morning, before dawn, Wan Yunting, who was sleeping soundly on the big bed in the basement bedroom, suddenly felt something and opened his eyes. He slightly raised his head and saw a figure standing at the doorway. It was Li Shuyun, wearing her training attire, looking at him calmly, indicating that they should go out to practice together.
Wan Yunting's sleepy, groggy expression turned astonished. Lu Xiaodie, sleeping beside him, suddenly rolled over and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his embrace like a little fox. Li Shuyun saw this scene, making Wan Yunting's face incredibly awkward.
What a bothersome morning...
"Hoo..."
The two ran at full speed to the summit of Sacred Hall Mountain. Facing the east, where the sky had not yet turned pale, they looked down upon the bustling cityscape of Huadu City with its tall buildings.
No wonder those business magnates chose to live here after retirement. Standing on the mountaintop every morning, overlooking the entire Huadu City, how could they not feel a sense of pride, believing they could control the world.
Wan Yunting turned and looked at Li Shuyun, who was following him, bending over and supporting her knees with her hands, panting. He smiled, "You still need to practice."
Li Shuyun straightened up, wiping sweat from her brow as she followed Wan Yunting to a protruding rock ahead. The top was very flat, as if it were a natural meditation platform. Wan Yunting sat cross-legged on it, and Li Shuyun sat beside him in the same posture, slowly saying, "If we practiced dual cultivation now, wouldn't it be better to absorb the energy of heaven and earth?"
Her words startled Wan Yunting. He turned and gave Li Shuyun a speechless glance, saying solemnly, "Shuyun, dual cultivation can indeed rapidly improve inner strength, but it is not the most effective way to cultivate. If you become too reliant on it, you won't go far in the martial arts path in the future!"
Li Shuyun raised her eyebrows, her eyes fixed on his right cheek. She nodded calmly and said, "I understand..."
"Yes, morning qi circulation is the best time. Circulate your energy..."
"Are you tired of dual cultivating with me and now want to ditch me to dual cultivate with Sister Lu, right?" Li Shuyun continued speaking, interrupting Wan Yunting, which left him completely dumbfounded. He turned his head, glaring at Li Shuyun, and reprimanded, "Shuyun, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly mean that..."
Li Shuyun turned her head away. Although she appeared calm and indifferent, her thoughts were not. In the tone of a jealous girlfriend, she said, "You don't need to lie to me. Although I don't understand romantic relationships, I know that men like new and dislike old, don't they?"
"I..."
Wan Yunting was so angered that the finger he used to point at Li Shuyun trembled. He forced himself to calm down and finally said to her seriously, "Shuyun, let me tell you, cultivation requires steady progress, accumulating step by step. Dual cultivation is a quick fix, but it will only make you indulge in it and ultimately lose yourself. Do you understand?"
Li Shuyun turned her face and asked him, "Is there any difference between the inner energy cultivated through dual cultivation and the inner energy cultivated through meditation now?"
"Of course, there's a difference."
Wan Yunting's eyes widened, and his voice rose a few decibels. He said, "Dual cultivation is like being injected with adrenaline; it can rapidly increase your power, but it's merely showy and insubstantial!"
"But those who truly cultivate are different. They diligently meditate and circulate qi every day, accumulating inner energy bit by bit. This energy will be clear and strong, and it will also have a different effect on one's spirit and state of mind. Therefore, the ancients called dual cultivation a crooked path, and that's why. Do you understand?"
This time, Li Shuyun nodded as if she understood, looking at him and saying, "So, you're not looking for new and disliking old?"
"Of course not."
Wan Yunting waved his hand, exasperated by her. He softened his tone and said, "You are now in the early stage of Huajin, so you should adhere even more to the natural qi of heaven and earth. Absorb the energy of heaven and earth into your body, circulate it through all your meridians, and finally gather it in your dantian to transform into vital energy. This cycle will stabilize your dantian's inner energy and reach a foundational point. This is essential for you to enter the next realm, Danjin, and consolidate your foundation."
Li Shuyun raised her eyebrows and asked, "What if I break through to Danjin through dual cultivation?"
Wan Yunting shook his head and chuckled, "You will only be able to reach the early stage of Danjin, at most the middle stage, but you won't be able to reach the late stage of Danjin!"
"Why?"
Li Yunting was a little confused.
Wan Yunting explained, "Because dual cultivation relies on the circulation of two people's inner energy to transform into qi. Without a stable foundation in the dantian, a qi dan cannot be formed. Therefore, you can only reach the late stage of Danjin and cannot break through further. This is why I am advising you now to dual cultivate less in the future."
Li Shuyun nodded, seemingly understanding.
Wan Yunting continued, "Shuyun, your talent is quite good. At the Darkjin stage, dual cultivation is acceptable. But once you reach the Huajin stage, you cannot be careless, nor should you expect to become invincible through the shortcut of dual cultivation."
"Look at the world, who has become invincible through dual cultivation? Which grandmaster, which generation of masters, did not achieve it step by step, right?"
However, Li Shuyun turned to look at him and asked doubtfully, "Then why did you improve so quickly?"
"Me."
Wan Yunting pointed to himself and smiled confidently, "Because I am a once-in-a-millennium martial arts prodigy."
Li Shuyun rolled her eyes at him, which said it all.
Wan Yunting waved his hand and readjusted his sitting posture, "Alright, let's calm our minds and meditate to cultivate."
Li Shuyun nodded and hummed in agreement. The two closed their eyes and began to meditate and cultivate with focus...