Seeing the gazes of the Beautiful Female Master and the Yu Shizun both turn toward him, Yan Zhen shyly scratched his cheek.
As expected, the Yu Shizun had met the Beautiful Female Master ahead of schedule. That meant the plotline where he helped her break through her bottleneck had advanced as well.
According to the script’s description, ordinary people carried both yin and yang energies within their bodies, merely biased toward one or the other. However, a small subset of individuals were born with extreme yin or extreme yang constitutions. While powerful, these came with significant limitations in cultivation.
At lower realms, the yin and yang energies clashed fiercely and struggled to coexist. But at higher realms, harmony was essential—yin giving birth to yang, yang giving birth to yin, creating an endless cycle!
Yu Shizun’s physique and techniques were both rooted in extreme yin. To ascend to higher realms, she needed to comprehend either “Extreme Yin to Yang” or “Nourish Yin with Yang.”
The former depended too heavily on insight; she might grasp it after a few days of meditation or remain stuck for a decade. The latter was the reliable path.
There were also considerations in choosing a supreme yang item. The most common was Solar Essence from Solar Essence Moon Radiance. A step higher came Extreme Flames—pure yang and unyieldingly rigid!
For instance, the strand of Gold-Silver Fire that the Beautiful Female Master had once gifted the Yu Shizun was of too low a grade. It became largely useless once one reached the Mystic Ancestor Realm.
The best option was the Great Crimson Heaven Flame that Yan Zhen possessed. Not only was it supremely yang and rigid, but it also carried a trace of evolutionary power to aid breakthroughs. Its ranking was neither too high nor too low, making it easier to integrate into the body.
Since the Yu Shizun had more than enough strength to suppress the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, there was no need for Body Fusion Dual Cultivation. They simply needed to face each other, palms pressed to palms.
Yan Zhen would release the Great Crimson Heaven Flame for her to absorb, while she released the Yin Void Fire generated from her Water Mystic Force to nourish him in return. Completing one small heavenly cycle and one large heavenly cycle counted as a single session of cultivation. Forty-nine such sessions would complete the process.
The challenge lay in the vast gap between their cultivations. Yu Shizun’s power far exceeded Yan Zhen’s, demanding enormous quantities of flame energy. He alone couldn’t provide enough; he would need to draw on the power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
This placed an immense burden on Yan Zhen.
In the script, after each session, the Yu Shizun always emerged radiant and full of vigor, while Yan Zhen collapsed like a soft-legged shrimp and slept like the dead.
She had witnessed all his hardships firsthand and felt deep gratitude toward him. That was a key reason for her later indulgence toward him.
【Ding! Key plot triggered】
【Current plot progress—Chapter 444: Heading to the Yu Family】
【Ding! Progress error! Recalibrating…】
【Current plot progress—Chapter 488: Dual Cultivation with the Yu Shizun?】
【Role-Playing Requirement: Use the power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky to co-cultivate with the Yu Shizun, release the Great Crimson Heaven Flame to help her break her bottleneck, and increase her favorability.】
【Completion: 0%】
…
Yan Zhen quickly reviewed the plot in his mind, then mustered his spirits and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Yu Shizun nodded slightly and said earnestly, “This Seat requires the Great Crimson Heaven Flame within your body to aid my cultivation.”
Yan Zhen feigned ignorance. “I can certainly do that. Would handing over a wisp of sub-flame from the Great Crimson Heaven Flame be enough for the Yu Shizun?”
Yu Shizun turned back to Chen Xi, who shook her head and said, “A single wisp of sub-flame won’t suffice. Back when This Master gifted Little Yu’er that strand of Gold-Silver Fire, it contained a portion of This Master’s Semi-Saint Power, allowing it to burn for years. With your current strength, Zhen’er, you can’t achieve that yet.”
“Then what should we do? Yu Shizun cultivates Water Mystic Force. Surely she can’t accommodate the fire seed of the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, right?”
“Rest assured, Zhen’er. This Master would never have you transfer your fire seed to Little Yu’er.” Chen Xi smiled. “You simply need to co-cultivate with her.”
“Co-cultivate?!”
Yan Zhen’s eyes widened in exaggerated surprise. Yu Shizun, by contrast, remained utterly calm. “Lady Chen Xi means ‘co-cultivation,’ doesn’t she?”
Dual Cultivation encompassed both Body Fusion Dual Cultivation and non-body-fusion variants. These days, however, Dual Cultivation usually referred to the former. To distinguish them, the non-physical kind was termed “co-cultivation,” meaning “synchronized cultivation.”
“Still, Lady Chen Xi, Yan Zhen’s cultivation is far too weak right now. If he co-cultivates with Shishi, I’m afraid he’d be drained of his mystic power in moments…”
One was a Third-Grade Supreme, the other a Six-Star Mystic Master—a gulf as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
“Have Zhen’er borrow the power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky,” Chen Xi replied. She turned to Yan Zhen. “Zhen’er, co-cultivating with Little Yu’er won’t just help her—it’ll benefit you greatly as well. Are you willing?”
“Your disciple is naturally willing!” Yan Zhen clasped his fists. “No matter what, the Yu Shizun is Mentor Yu Xuan’s elder, which makes her my elder too. I’ll help however I can.”
Chen Xi nodded in satisfaction, and a hint of softness entered the Yu Shizun’s impassive gaze.
“Then This Seat must trouble you.”
“You’re too kind, Yu Shizun. Master, when do we begin?”
“Let’s try it now.”
With that, Chen Xi lifted her jade-like hand in a gentle gesture. A Dao Platform rose into existence between the three of them.
“Zhen’er, you go up first. This Master will help you connect to the Fire Refining Starry Sky and borrow its power to unleash the full might of the Great Crimson Heaven Flame.”
“Yes, Master!”
Yan Zhen leaped onto the platform. He settled into meditation, eyes closed, and circulated the Emperor Flame Technique in an attempt to commune with the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
Below the platform, Chen Xi’s form gradually dissipated, merging into the Fire Refining Starry Sky as the World Spirit to lend him her aid.
The Emperor Flame Technique originated from the Fire Refining Starry Sky itself. Mastered to a Mystic level, it allowed one to command the Starry Sky and become its master.
In his previous life, when Yan Zhen had gone berserk, he had instinctively drawn on the Fire Refining Starry Sky’s power to instantly slay the Myriad Snake Queen (Cailian Wife) who had provoked him, then ravaged her.
This move would later become his ultimate trump card—a desperate burst technique. When outmatched, he’d borrow the Starry Sky’s power to temporarily skyrocket his cultivation and turn the tables!
Yan Zhen had even named this secret art the Flame Yama Ninefold Transformation, each layer doubling his strength!
Though his current realm was low, with his Beautiful Female Master’s assistance, borrowing the Fire Refining Starry Sky’s power was no great difficulty.
The only question was how much he could borrow.
A strand of power descended from the void, merging into Yan Zhen’s body. His aura exploded outward in an instant, propelling him from Six-Star Mystic Master straight to One-Star Mystic King.
This was the limit his body could endure right now. Pushing further would mean reckless overexertion—like his previous berserk state. Immensely powerful, yes, but with severe aftereffects.
…
Yu Shizun’s brows furrowed slightly.
Whoosh.
Chen Xi’s figure reformed beside the Yu Shizun, wearing the same expression.
—Merely Mystic King Realm. Still too weak.
In his previous life, when Yan Zhen co-cultivated with the Yu Shizun, he had already been near the Mystic King Realm himself. Borrowing the Fire Refining Starry Sky’s power had rocketed him to Nine-Star Mystic Lord Realm, just a step shy of Mystic Ancestor. Only then could he barely withstand a Supreme’s mystic power!
Yan Zhen came back to his senses, feeling the surging power within him. With an innocent expression, he said, “Does it feel like it’s still not strong enough?”
The plot advancing early truly wasn’t ideal. With his current frail frame, how was he supposed to satisfy the Yu Shizun? How was he to complete the task?
“This won’t do,” the Yu Shizun said, a trace of disappointment in her voice. “Lady Chen Xi, is there another way?”
“Well…”
Chen Xi hesitated, caught in a dilemma.
There was a method, but she truly did not wish to resort to it.
