Another Cliché Cultivation Story

Ji Xian rose slowly to his feet, extending a hand to help Xia Lihua up along the way. With their bodies and faces nearly touching, they silently stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before breaking out into sweet smiles. Never had their goals been so clear. Though it seemed like such a simple thing, how many people can say they knew exactly what their heart yearned for and the path to achieve it?

“So have you decided?” Ji Xian asked calmly, despite already knowing the answer. “Will you continue with Body Cultivation?”

“Yes,” she nodded, resolutely. “I know you had high hopes for me to cultivate both True and Astral Essence but that isn’t what I want or need.”

She recalled, “In these past few days, while I cultivate, you have been assisting me in sensing and grasping a strand of True Essence— something that I never thought was possible. After all, I’m not a blessed. I can’t feel or see them. Yet, not only did you allow me to do that, I also absorbed it and have it sat next to my internal world.”

Xia Lihua’s face turned more and more incredulous as she spoke of her experience. If the world knew what Ji Xian had done, just how many people would hunt him down to acquire this knowledge? Just what kind of catastrophe would befall him to snatch his secrets? What he’d done may seem simple, but he may very well be the first person in history to have done it. Ji Xian had broken a belief that a vast majority of cultivators thought to be impossible, and he had done so while still being in the Lower World, no less.

Feeling overwhelmed, Xia Lihua’s breathing subconsciously quickened as she looked at him worryingly— not because she was afraid for his safety but because she didn’t know what kind of monster he might become one day when the limits of heaven no longer bind him. Would he be a scourge of a blessing?

Xia Lihua wondered before inwardly shaking her head.

Ji Xian is neither a saint nor a devil. He is like he always is— indifferent, and as long as I am beside him, he will never become the person I have to worry about.

This was something she truly believed. Despite having these concerns pop up in her head every so often, she knew they were baseless. Ji Xian may have occasionally done questionable acts but it was never to the extent people imagined. He had restraints and reasons. In actuality, it was usually his inaction that bothered her the most.

After a brief pause, she continued, slowly, “The two essences rested within me and they showed no sign of instability. An excellent start to your theory. However, you should already be aware that we can’t keep them in that state forever because the medium that we used to make this possible is finite.”

Ji Xian nodded thoughtfully.

Heavenly Merit. The mysterious energy that even the Universal Will can’t see through. That was the medium that Ji Xian used to settle the two essences. It plays a crucial part in allowing Xia Lihua to perceive and take in True Essence. The problem with using this method though, was exactly as she said— It was incredibly rare and not easily found.”

Unless he could secure an endless supply of Heavenly Merit, Xia Lihua would never be able to retain the True Essence within her permanently.

Ji Xian currently has no solution to this problem. Even so, he wasn’t discouraged, this was merely the first of the experimentation. There will be many more in the future.

As he contemplated, he internally groaned.

It’s a shame that I can’t use the simulation for this. I’m not a Body Cultivator, I don’t have an internal world, at least, not yet. Even when I created the Astral World Principles for Lihua, it merely contained ideas for her to improve herself. I have no way of knowing how True Essence reacts with Astral Essence, and not to mention, I don’t know the nature of Heavenly Merit. Without fully understanding it, I can only assume its effects. There’s too much guessing, and too many possibilities— the results will be unreliable and can’t be used in reality. I can simulate almost endlessly, but in real life, I can only cultivate once. One wrong step and I could blow myself up due to deviation.

Even when I was verifying my theories with Lihua these past few days, I had to be prudent. If I had just made one mistake in judgment, I could’ve killed her.

At the thought of this, Ji Xian frowned. An uncomfortable feeling arose as he realized the danger Xia Lihua was in. Even though he was confident in his abilities, just a single error was enough to put her in grave harm. In his eagerness to test out his theories, he had failed to fully register the risks until now.

Never again, he inwardly promised. This will be the first and last time he’ll have someone close to him do these experiments. This thought probably wouldn’t occur to him if it was in the past— when he was still alone. But the times had changed. He was no longer alone.

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“What’s the matter?” Xia Lihua asked after noticing the change in his expression.

“Hm?” Ji Xian blinked, snapping back his focus. He grinned and hurriedly said, “Oh, nothing. I was just admiring your makeup.”

Xia Lihua narrowed her eyes sharply, and a faint vein began to pulse on her temple.

“I’m not wearing makeup,” she said coolly, her voice carrying a slight tone of irritation. The air around her grew heavy as her aura gradually surged.

Ji Xian awkwardly cleared his throat. “Oh… uh, well, damn. How are you so stunning without it? Haha.”

Xia Lihua’s lips curved into a small smile and the tension in the air wonderfully dissolved.

Knowing that he successfully appeased her, Ji Xian happily chuckled. All the while, he ruffled his hair, vexed at how they sat in front of his face. The enjoyment he had in hiding his appearance had long since withered, and he was no longer in the mood to put up the sketchy pretense.

Xia Lihua, as though having read his mind, stepped forward and gently ran her delicate fingers through his long hair, slicking it back for him. She was also tired of him putting up a facade. When they had first arrived in Mortal Desolate, Ji Xian pretended to be her servant— something that she had never agreed with. The way he lowered himself in front of others always bothered her. Though she was guilty of being the reason why he continued to hide his appearance in the Ardent Yin Sect, she was done with it all.

“Promise me that you’ll never do this again,” she said softly, her hands cradling his perfectly handsome face as she stared at him.

Ji Xian knew what she was asking of him, yet, he didn’t give her what she wanted,

“… You are too prideful, Lihua,” he shook his head. “Status, honor, dignity— none of it is important. You do what you must to survive and get what you want, it’s that simple.”

Xia Lihua sighed. While she didn’t fully disagree, he was still someone with the power to overturn worlds. Was there a need for him to act the way he did to get what he wanted? It was unnecessary and she couldn’t understand it.

Ji Xian smiled, “Don’t dwell on it too much. Sometimes a little bit of fun is needed on this long, winding path of cultivation.”

“But never mind this, what else did you notice during your cultivation?” He asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. It was evident that there were many things he and Xia Lihua didn’t see eye to eye on, but that was fine. They both came from different backgrounds, after all.

“… My cultivation?” Xia Lihua also didn’t linger on the topic and instead reflected on her experience once more. “After I captured the strand of True Essence, I noticed an issue with it.”

“What kind of issue?” Ji Xian asked curiously. This was something she hadn’t told him about.

“My body didn’t agree with it.” She explained, “I didn’t expect that after we solved the compatibility issue between the two essences, another problem would arise. It was strange… almost as if something deep within me was warning me not to use this outside essence.”

A glint flashed in Ji Xian’s eyes as he ventured a guess, “Could it have been your dragon bloodline?”

“Yes,” Xia Lihua nodded slightly, “Ji Xian, you have your secrets, and I have mine. Have you ever wondered what cultivation method I’ve used to get to this level?”

“Of course, I have,” Ji Xian smirked. “I had also tried to learn it long ago. However, it wasn’t something I could ever use.”

Xia Lihua laughed softly, as though she’d expected his answer. “You may have an absurd talent for learning and copying, but unless you possess the same draconic blood as I do, you could never duplicate my cultivation method. It belongs solely to the descendants of the Temporal Dragon. A Legacy that has been imprinted in us.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “You once told me that everything in the universe stems from one source, and I agreed. But during my cultivation, a thought struck me: What if there isn’t just one source? What if there are multiple origins?”

Her silver eyes gleamed with resolve as she concluded, “I think that’s what my body was trying to tell me—to not rely on this True Essence of heaven and earth, but to become my own firmament, my own Empyrean. My cultivation method is one where I need to rely on my Astral Essence and not that of others.”

Ji Xian was amused by this. If what Xia Lihua said was true, then her being born unable to sense True Essence was actually by design. It wasn’t that she was unlucky, but it was a requirement by her bloodline.

“Wait a minute… then what about Yueyin?” Ji Xian suddenly questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Yueyin follows the path of Qi Cultivation. If your heritage compels you to pursue Body Cultivation, why isn’t she the same? Won’t this affect her potential?”

Xia Lihua shook her head calmly, “It won’t. We may be of the same background but our blood differs. Yueyin has a strong spatial affinity, therefore, she must be a descendant of the Void Dragon. Her Legacy is different from mine.”

Xia Lihua paused, her gaze turning contemplative, “It’s only my guess, but if I am meant to forge a new heavenly origin, then she may be required to usurp the current one. It makes sense that she cultivates True Essence.”

“Fascinating,” Ji Xian’s eyes sparkled in wonder. “Then, Yueyin will—“

Before he could finish, he felt a large amount of killing intent targeted at him. Turning slightly, his eyes landed on a figure racing toward him—a silhouette clad in razor-sharp black scales, with a large pair of bat-like wings beating furiously against the air.

Upon seeing who it was, Ji Xian chuckled and said casually, “Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you.”

Xiao Yueyin, ignoring his words, seemed overcome with emotion upon noticing he had awoken. Her expression shifted rapidly between anger and relief.

“You unreliable bastard! What have you been doing?!” she cried, her voice trembling with a mix of frustration and joy.

With a powerful flap of her wings, she disappeared into the spatial layer. In the next instant, she reappeared directly in front of Ji Xian, her fists flying toward his face with explosive force.

 

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