Chapter 180: Dual Cultivation... With a Third Wheel
Inside the cave, Jiang Lin was wildly using Yun Zhi's Dou Qi to power the high-intensity circulation of the Forging Flame Art, almost as if he were trying to refine her entirely. The Dou Huang-level Dou Qi within Yun Zhi was being gradually refined, and its energy density was incredibly high—giving Jiang Lin a boost that far surpassed even taking a tier-4 crystal pill!
At first, Yun Zhi and Xiao Yan were just two burdens latched onto Jiang Lin. He was using only his own Dou Qi to drag the two along through the Forging Flame Art. But once the purple crystal seal within Yun Zhi was slightly dissolved by the art, her Dou Huang Dou Qi began to circulate. Under Jiang Lin's guidance, she actively injected her Dou Qi into his body, which then acted as a "Dou Qi reactor," purifying and transforming it into dazzling crimson-gold Dou Qi that flowed back into Yun Zhi and Xiao Yan to refine their meridians and temper their bodies.
With the aid of Dou Huang Dou Qi, Jiang Lin's cultivation speed using the Forging Flame Art quickly surpassed even the effects of a tier-4 crystal pill, recovering his lost efficiency from supporting the others—and even accelerating further as more of Yun Zhi's power became accessible.
As the Forging Flame Art surged within him, the temperature in the cave continued to rise. All three bodies began to emit faint, invisible energy flames, heating the surrounding air.
At this moment, the situation looked rather compromising. Xiao Yan, still pinned to the ground by Jiang Lin's hand, was in a state of painful bliss. Under the brutal burn of the Forging Flame Art, his senses didn't dull—they sharpened. Each cycle of refining his meridians and flesh brought a new wave of torment. Fortunately, his soul was strong, and his will resilient enough to grit through it in silence.
Just as Yao Chen had said—opportunities had to be seized by one's own hands.
Among the three, Jiang Lin and Yun Zhi formed a complementary cultivation cycle. For Yun Zhi, whose meridians were resilient but body weak, the Forging Flame Art produced remarkable effects. Meanwhile, her Dou Huang Dou Qi acted as an immensely potent tonic for Jiang Lin. The only drawback was that her Dou Qi was wind-elemental, requiring extra effort to purify before it could be absorbed into the Forging Flame Art and converted into perfect crimson-gold Dou Qi.
Fire tempers gold, and wind fuels fire. Jiang Lin's crimson-gold Dou Qi, in its perfected ratio, could almost be considered the ideal Dou Qi for blacksmithing and body-tempering.
In this multi-person energy cycle maintained by Jiang Lin—no, this three-way circulation—Xiao Yan was the weakest link. He couldn't contribute anything to the system and simply lay there being refined, enduring the full pain and benefit of the Forging Flame Art's effects.
Had it not been for Yao Chen's warning, Xiao Yan might have missed out entirely on this rare chance to benefit from Jiang Lin and Yun Zhi's power.
Finally, after an hour, Jiang Lin's soul endurance reached its limit. He slowly ended the technique, his blue-gold eyes opening within the softly glowing cave.
Mm...
As Jiang Lin concluded his session, he immediately felt Yun Zhi, who was half-leaning against him, let out a faint moan and collapse into his arms, drenched in fragrant sweat.
Huff, huff... On the other side, Xiao Yan lay sprawled on the ground, drenched and gasping like a dog that had been run ragged.
"..." Jiang Lin fell silent. Anyone walking in right now would definitely get the wrong idea about what had happened in this cave...
'Still, under precise spiritual control, the Forging Flame Art really can circulate through another's blood vessels, establishing an entirely new energy cycle. But because the foundation is still me, it's essentially just my cultivation—though in some sense, it's like a form of mutual dual cultivation, where both sides gain according to their needs.' Jiang Lin reflected quietly as he listened to Yun Zhi's gentle breathing.
Originally, he had planned to circulate his crimson-gold Dou Qi through Yun Zhi's blood vessels as if they were Dou Tool etchings, in order to burn away the traces of Xiao Yan's ridiculous aphrodisiac powder. He expected her Dou Qi seal to loosen, but what surprised him was how his body resisted foreign Dou Qi even better than he'd thought.
Even more surprising was how well the Forging Flame Art accepted foreign Dou Qi.
With Yun Zhi's Dou Huang energy added in, his cultivation efficiency had skyrocketed, surpassing what even tier-4 pills could achieve. One hour of practice with her assistance—plus dragging along a freeloading Xiao Yan—was equivalent to nearly half a month of solo effort. Without the third wheel, he could've gained even more. Two sessions per day like this? That'd match an entire month of normal cultivation without pills.
Faced with these numbers, Jiang Lin's first thought wasn't how terrifying Dou Huang Dou Qi was…
But rather a rarely discussed blacksmithing hypothesis: an advanced version of Dou Crystals—"everything can be refined into pills."
He shook his head, casting out the wild thoughts. For now, he should learn how to be a proper person. Those inhuman ideas would have to wait.
Because weaklings must first learn to be human. To go beyond that—that was a privilege only the strong possessed.
In the quiet night, the labored breathing of the young man and woman echoed in the cave, creating an... evocative scene. A black line ran down Jiang Lin's forehead as he muttered helplessly, "I really was just a normal guy. How did things get like this after I met you?"
"Huff... Brother Lin, I'm gonna die... I'm dying here..." Xiao Yan wheezed, unable to move, lying flat on the ground. He looked like a sedentary couch potato who'd just climbed twenty flights of stairs—utterly exhausted and barely breathing.
"Is cultivation always this painful for you?" Hearing Jiang Lin's voice, Yun Zhi's limp body stiffened slightly. But she soon relaxed again, letting herself lean into his firm chest and whispering softly.
"Well... technically, this method fuses soul and body. I bore the soul burden alone—neither of you felt it." Jiang Lin replied with a helpless chuckle. When he first trained the Forging Flame Art, it had been extremely painful. Only after long adaptation had he developed the emotional stability of a machine.
"In a way... we accidentally entered a dual cultivation state. Though with a third wheel involved." As he spoke, Jiang Lin kicked at Xiao Yan, who was playing dead on the ground nearby.
(END CHAPTER)
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