Chapter 88: Junior Brother, I Don’t Like Seeing You Cultivate with Anyone Else Anyway

Yu Wan strode forward on her long legs, hooking her toe to flick up the azure robe. With a graceful turn, a wisp of blue shadow settled over her fair body. She pulled a chair over and sat down, crossing her legs and rhythmically tapping the air with the tip of her right foot.

Propping her chin with one hand, she paid no mind to her exposed springtime charms—after all, there was no one around to appreciate them. Her gaze wandered, as if caught in recollection, and the corners of her lips lifted, her entire being suddenly radiant.

“This time, because of that boy, the stone in my heart has finally been set down,” she murmured.

It wasn’t just her—the other three peak masters had been under immense pressure as well. Master Yu Qingsong's life was nearing its end; none of them held out much hope for how much longer he might last. Their journey to the Central Continent had seen all four peak masters traveling together, resolved to either succeed or die trying.

Yet, the greatest burden had fallen on Yu Wan’s shoulders. She hadn’t noticed it much at first, but after these days of release, she suddenly realized how long she had been suppressing her true self. Her spiritual sense had stagnated, and if not for Cao Xuan forcibly pushing her past that barrier, she believed that, even with the aid of the Azure Cloud Mist Cave, her own flaws would have prevented her from ever reaching the Golden Core stage.

She might even have risked a disastrous deviation in her cultivation.

“I’ll have to find a time to thank that boy properly,” she said aloud, though inwardly she knew—during their cultivation sessions, Cao Xuan was anything but a mere boy; he was a man among men.

At that thought, her heart fluttered and she ran her tongue over her lips.

“If nothing else, when I break through to the Golden Core stage, I’ll let him have the very first strand of Golden Core true essence!” she declared with a smile. Of course, who would reach that stage first was still up in the air. Foundation Establishment had its unique true essence, and so did Golden Core; the so-called “first strand of Golden Core true essence” wasn’t of any special practical use. It was simply something she’d come up with, in light of Cao Xuan’s preferences and their rather unique cultivation method—a symbolic gesture, nothing more.

“That boy, always thinking up odd things—‘the first time of the Kun,’ this first time, that first time. His mind is full of strange ideas!” She covered her mouth with her right hand, remembering the fullness in her cheeks.

Her gaze grew misty. “As your master, I’ve already given you the first time from three different places. If I still can’t break through to the Golden Core stage, then it’s simply my fate!”

She thought Cao Xuan was being ridiculous, claiming that each place served as a connector for dual cultivation in the practice of the “Rune Cloud Sutra,” and that each had different effects. In her experience, whether absorbing from above or from the two places below, as long as both major cycles were running, the effect was much the same.

But cultivation was a mysterious thing, not easily explained. All she knew was that, as long as Cao Xuan looked satisfied, she too would feel joy, and the efficiency of her spirit and energy enhancement would soar.

In any case, she had learned so much—most of it from a youth a hundred years her junior. Her essence, energy, and spirit had all nearly reached the peak of Foundation Establishment; if she still couldn’t break through, she truly didn’t know what else to do.

At this realization, Yu Wan was seized by a sudden fear of “insufficient firepower.” She almost wanted to drag Cao Xuan out of Li Yao’s cabin immediately, forget about the Azure Cloud Conference, and keep him in bed until the Azure Cloud Mist Cave opened, hoping to push her spirit up to ten as well.

Of course, she only entertained the thought. As a master, she had her pride, and barging in on her two disciples—who were likely cultivating at this very moment—would be unseemly.

Yu Wan shook her head. “Knowing that boy, he’d probably suggest doing it all together,” she mused. Her face flushed at the thought—if that time came, would she refuse or agree?

Agree? Li Yao would be there. While it was just normal cultivation, and those who sought the Way should not be ruled by feelings of shame, Cao Xuan’s cultivation methods were undeniably mortifying.

Refuse? Yu Wan had tasted the sweetness, and she feared that, faced with Cao Xuan’s strong physique, she might not be able to control herself.

“Oh well, there’s plenty of time ahead. He’s my disciple—why worry about lacking opportunities to cultivate together in the future?” With this thought, Yu Wan’s desire to break through to the Golden Core stage grew stronger than ever. This time, it wasn’t for the sake of the sect but for herself—after reaching Golden Core, she would have five hundred years of life ahead. With those extra years, the Cloud Province would remain stable, and she could occasionally cultivate with Cao Xuan. Such a life would be wonderful.

She chuckled softly. “I’ll let that boy off for now, but once I reach the Golden Core stage…” Her cheeks reddened again, and she declared with mock severity, “Just wait and see if I don’t ride you to death!”

…

Li Yao noticed her junior brother Cao shiver suddenly. She quickly squeezed her legs together, asking gently, “Did your true essence erupt?”

Cao Xuan’s face grew solemn. “How could that be? We haven’t cultivated that far yet.” He paused. “I just felt as if someone was talking about me.”

Hearing this, Li Yao’s eyes took on a mischievous glint. “Oh? Are you thinking of surpassing your senior sister, turning the tables and becoming the senior yourself? Tell me, were you thinking about those two little vixens from the Azure Cloud Sect in Cloud Province?”

Cao Xuan didn’t mind; Li Yao surely knew about Lin Miaoxuan and Chen Qianru. There had only been a slight drop in her affection after she’d unexpectedly walked in on the three of them cultivating together, but she hadn’t been able to stay angry with him for long. Her junior brother was free to choose his cultivation partners, and after she came to terms with it, her feelings returned just as swiftly.

Moreover, in Li Yao’s view, there was nothing shameful about dual cultivation. It was only natural that her junior brother might practice with other female cultivators.

In fact, she blamed herself for having reached late Foundation Establishment and then going into seclusion to stabilize her realm, neglecting her junior brother and leading to this situation. She’d even spoken frankly with him: “Junior brother, if you need anything, just find your senior sister. No matter how busy I am, I’ll help you cultivate. Don’t wrong yourself by practicing with two mere outer sect disciples at the Qi Condensation stage.”

Cao Xuan had gaped at her then—he didn’t feel wronged at all, but he didn’t know how to explain it to Li Yao.

Finally, he looked at her seriously and said, “Senior sister Li Yao, I’m not like others. My Dao is simple: ‘Beauty is justice.’ As long as she’s a beautiful immortal, I’ll like her!”

Of course, he added silently to himself, the multiplier is important too!

Li Yao saw the resolve in her junior brother’s eyes and understood his meaning, though she couldn’t help feeling aggrieved—it was her junior brother, after all, and yet she had to share him with others.

After that, in a fit of pique, she dragged Cao Xuan into seclusion for a week, but in the end, she was the one who surrendered. Even as her body went limp, she stubbornly muttered, “Anyway, I just don’t like you cultivating with others!”