Chapter 171: "Cultivating" with Ling Luochen
"Stupid junior brother—did you do that on purpose?!"
Ling Luochen finally realized Ye Chen had been teasing her—deliberately leading her thoughts in that direction!
How shameless!
Just remembering how she'd blushed and stammered moments before made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
This was so embarrassing!
"I didn't! I swear, you're imagining things!"
Ye Chen denied it three times in a row.
"Hmph… Fine. Then… if I join Tang Sect, will I really get a chance to evolve my martial spirit?"
Ling Luochen took a deep breath, suppressing her annoyance, her tone cautious but hopeful.
"Still no."
Ye Chen shook his head. "The main problem is your cultivation. You're too low right now. You'll need to reach the Soul Emperor level first—only then would it be safe to attempt martial spirit evolution."
He wasn't lying.
Even Ma Xiaotao, strengthened by the Phoenix Crest Aster, had struggled to absorb the Scorching Resin properly.
Ling Luochen was much weaker in comparison. If she tried to absorb the Frozen Resin right now, the backlash would likely be unbearable. She'd be lucky to survive it.
It wasn't entirely a hard requirement—but at least reaching Soul Emperor would make it safer.
Of course, Ye Chen added silently, she'd need close supervision from him during training—purely to "improve compatibility," of course.
"Soul Emperor…? That'll take forever…" Ling Luochen sighed, her excitement fading.
At level fifty‑five, she was only a mid Soul King. Breaking through would take at least a year, maybe two.
She wanted results now—not someday far off.
"Well," Ye Chen said with a mysterious smile, "it doesn't have to take that long. I know a secret cultivation technique—one that can boost training speed considerably. If Senior Sister doesn't mind, we can go to my room and I'll show you how it works."
The way he said it—and the glint in his eyes—sounded anything but pure.
"Aha! I knew it! That's what you were planning all along! You liar!" she said, pointing accusingly at him, cheeks aflame.
"No, no! It really is a cultivation method. If you don't believe me, come and see for yourself," Ye Chen said innocently, spreading his hands.
"Hmph! Fine then—let's see what you're up to. But I know you've got bad intentions!"
Ling Luochen crossed her arms in disbelief but followed him inside anyway.
Soon, the flow of spiritual energy in the courtyard began to shift, converging rapidly toward Ye Chen's room.
Because their level of intimacy wasn't yet high, and both were already advanced soul masters, the speed multiplier was modest—only about twice normal.
Even so, the results were obvious. Ling Luochen's eyes widened in surprise as she felt her cultivation progress soar.
Within moments, she was immersed—addicted, even—to the sensation.
…
An hour later.
She emerged from the room blushing fiercely, adjusting her outfit, which had somehow become rumpled during "training."
Despite the teasing and the occasional touch, it hadn't been that kind of session—but she found herself strangely unbothered by his playful behavior.
In truth, she… kind of liked it.
And the results spoke for themselves. Her cultivation had progressed far beyond what she'd expected.
A two‑fold boost in training speed—something even evil soul masters could only achieve by risking corruption—and she hadn't needed to pay any price at all.
No wonder Ma Xiaotao's progress had always seemed unnatural.
She'd thought the woman's talent was ridiculous—but now she knew the truth: it wasn't Ma Xiaotao who was powerful.
It was Ye Chen.
"Senior Sister Ling, same time tomorrow—I'll be waiting," Ye Chen said casually as he stepped outside, waving goodbye with a smile.
"I—I got it…"
Ling Luochen's slim shoulders trembled as she nodded, still flushed red. Then, lowering her head, she quickly hurried away.
It had been her first time doing… anything like that. No wonder she was embarrassed.
Watching her retreating form, Ye Chen licked his lips unconsciously, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Ma Xiaotao's fiery passion had its own charm.
But Ling Luochen's cool, icy aura was a different kind of temptation—equally intoxicating.
He liked both, really.
And she'd handled everything perfectly.
Sometimes, you set expectations sky‑high—then offer something softer, simpler instead. That way, people not only accept, they welcome it—and often crave more.
Had he pushed things further today, she might've said yes but with lingering doubt.
But holding back—"just" gently guiding and sharing energy—made her relax, trust him, even look forward to the next encounter.
Her nervousness had quickly turned to comfort, even anticipation.
And with that came the effect he wanted—Resonance.
He could feel the technique accelerating in real time. The stronger the emotional bond, the greater the enhancement—and her affection for him was now rising fast.
The more he pushed, the faster it climbed.
Thinking back on the "training session," Ye Chen couldn't help but smile contentedly.
Ling Luochen was unlike anyone else—all of them had their own quirks, their own flavor of fun.
But thoughts of her soon drifted to Zhang Lexuan.
"…Oh no. I still haven't gone to see her. She's definitely upset by now."
He sighed.
Zhang Lexuan didn't mind his relationship with Ma Xiaotao much.
But the fact that he had gifted Ma Xiaotao something powerful enough to evolve her spirit to the level of Extreme Fire—and had given her nothing—was another matter entirely.
He'd made two fatal mistakes: not greeting her when he returned, and ignoring her in favor of another woman.
He was in trouble, for sure.
She wouldn't explode at him outright, but it would take effort to coax her back into good spirits.
The longer he waited, the worse it would get.
Activating his Heavenly Infinity Eye, Ye Chen scanned the academy. Zhang Lexuan wasn't at her courtyard; she seemed busy handling various administrative tasks on campus.
For now, disturbing her would be unwise.
He decided to rest and cultivate instead, visiting her later that evening.
Back in his room, Ye Chen took out the small stone formed from the Ice Dragon King's soul origin.
He began absorbing the energy carefully—this time taking only small sips, like drinking tea—slow, steady, safe.
Each drop of essence he took in boosted his spiritual power while waves of fragmented memories entered his mind.
He ignored those, grinding them to dust with his own mental sea before discarding them completely.
Progress was slower this way… but stable.
At this rate, maybe a month would be enough to absorb the entire soul origin—perhaps even less once he broke into the Spirit Domain Realm.
That breakthrough would multiply his spiritual power tenfold.
And his absorption speed would rise accordingly.
"Hmm… Feels like I'm forgetting something," he murmured, frowning—then snapped his fingers.
"Oh, right… I still have one more Ice Emperor in my head, don't I."
(END CHAPTER)
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