Chapter 181: This Time, I Want a Different Position!
Yun Zhi rested in Jiang Lin's arms for a while before she regained some strength, then rose and quietly moved to sit on the other side of the cave, her expression slowly turning calm and distant.
"The seal in my body has been lifted. Thank you," Yun Zhi said in an even tone.
"Miss Yun Zhi was already just one step away from breaking it. I merely accelerated the process. Even without me, in a day or two, you would've broken through it yourself." Jiang Lin shook his head in the darkness. A seal at the Dou Huang level wasn't something he could casually unravel—the truth was, the seal had already been mostly worn down by Yun Zhi's own Dou Huang Dou Qi. The Forging Flame Art had simply torn the last bit open and then used Yun Zhi's own Dou Qi to expand the breach.
"But in the end, I still need to thank you," Yun Zhi said softly into the dark, her voice calm. No one could see her expression—except for Jiang Lin.
On her face was a complex emotion—caught somewhere between softness and indifference.
"If you really want to show gratitude, then how about continuing cultivation for a few more days? This method benefits us both," Jiang Lin said directly. Cultivating with the help of Dou Huang Dou Qi was the equivalent of half a month of effort—far too tempting.
"…Mm." Yun Zhi hesitated, then gave a soft reply.
She could already feel how much stronger her physique had become. Given her smaller frame, her physical strength had increased by thirty to forty percent. She could now easily beat her old self—even without using Dou Qi. Of course, if she did use Dou Qi, the physical strength boost would be mostly negated, but the increased agility would help her execute certain complex techniques far more efficiently.
Overall, the Forging Flame Art had given Yun Zhi a passive, hard-to-notice enhancement—one that subtly influenced her combat potential from the ground up.
As for Xiao Yan, his gains were even greater. Not only had his physical strength improved, but the toughness of his meridians was significantly enhanced.
After regaining some strength and consuming a few pills, Xiao Yan quickly recovered his energy and Dou Qi. He pulled out the Heavy Xuan Ruler and gave it a few swings, noticing how much lighter it now felt in his hand. But that wasn't the main thing—the real game-changer was his cultivation speed.
After running the Flame Mantra just a bit, he exclaimed in shock, "My cultivation speed increased by nearly ten percent!"
With his Dou Qi circulating ten percent faster, it meant his cultivation rate had also risen by that same amount!
"Brother Lin! You're really like a big brother to me!" At that moment, Xiao Yan completely forgot about being pinned down, kicked, or otherwise abused by Jiang Lin. All he could think about was how awesome his bro was… Though come to think of it, he couldn't recall any particularly heartwarming memories at all.
Out of the three, the biggest winner was Xiao Yan, the seven-star Dou Zhe. Second was Jiang Lin, a six-star Dou Shi. Last was Yun Zhi, a three-star Dou Huang.
"It's only the first session that yields the best result. The effects will drop significantly afterward. Unless my realm improves, I won't be able to control more energy," Jiang Lin explained softly. He no longer considered the Forging Flame Art a flawed foundational technique.
As the saying goes, 'The Great Dao is the simplest.' The Forging Flame Art embodied this idea—it used the simplest language to code the most complex method.
After all, from a certain perspective, a technique that doubled in difficulty every level was practically a self-evolving system.
Well, maybe Jiang Lin had burned his brain a bit too much with this art—he was now calling exponential difficulty "automatic evolution." That was a sign something had definitely gone wrong.
"I need time to recover my Dou Qi. I can only cultivate with you once per day," Yun Zhi said flatly, glancing at Xiao Yan, who was already back in meditation.
"Let me be clear: in at most half a month, we have to go search for the Purple Spirit Crystal," she added, not forgetting her original mission.
The half-month limit existed because, as Jiang Lin had said, the best effects only came from the first session. The benefits would diminish with each subsequent session. After half a month, they'd essentially just be accompanying Jiang Lin for his own cultivation.
"Half a month? More than enough!" Jiang Lin nodded excitedly. He had finally found a cultivation accelerator—he wasn't going to waste it. With crystal pills, his speed was already five times faster. Add Yun Zhi's Dou Huang Dou Qi to the mix—even with the "freeloader" Xiao Yan slowing things down—he could maintain 15x speed, or half a month's gain in a single day.
With his foundation at the six-star Dou Shi level, he estimated he could reach seven stars within a week. The remaining week could push him to late seven-star, at which point he could consume the Xuan Spirit Pill.
Even if the pill's effect was reduced, breaking into eight-star Dou Shi should still be no problem.
Thus, the trio entered a half-month closed cultivation.
However…
"Brother Lin, this time, I want a different position!" On the second day of training, Xiao Yan protested. He didn't want to be under the "car"—he wanted to be in it!
He wasn't demanding to be in Jiang Lin's arms, of course, but being pinned to the ground was just too humiliating!
The moment he said that, Yun Zhi—who had maintained a calm expression—suddenly blushed, a faint pink rising along her snow-white neck. She recalled how she'd looked during that first training session… and the idea of always having to lie in Jiang Lin's arms for future sessions made her heart beat uncontrollably faster.
Watching Xiao Yan "competing for affection" and Yun Zhi blushing, Jiang Lin's face darkened.
What was this mess?
It was supposed to be a simple, mutual-benefit dual cultivation. But ever since the freeloader joined in, the vibe had completely shifted into… something else. And now he was even protesting about being "under the car"? What—did he want to be in Jiang Lin's arms too?!
How bold of you!
Why do you think I pinned you to the ground in the first place?! Can't you read the room?!
You jumped on me from behind out of nowhere—I nearly had a heart attack!
Anyone watching would've thought we were filming Burning Winter in Paris or something!
How bold of you!!
Bang!
Faced with this nonsense, Jiang Lin could only resort to physical discipline. He knocked Xiao Yan down with a punch, his face irritated.
"Stop saying weird things next time!"
(END CHAPTER)
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