Dual Cultivation System: My Cultivation Was Crippled, So I Rely on Intimacy to Level Up

At this critical moment, the situation on the battlefield shifted violently!

Shen Hanyi bit the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain forcing a final, desperate surge of potential from her exhausted frame. An unnatural, feverish flush bloomed across her pale face.

Hum—

A low-frequency vibration rippled through the air, making space itself seem to shudder. A miniature sword, no larger than a child’s fist and radiating a blinding, solar gold light, slowly manifested from her lower abdomen. The moment it emerged, the clearing was flooded with a sharp, terrifyingly pure aura.

The Innate Sword Embryo!

Even a hundred yards away within the leafy canopy, Zhou Kai felt a needle-like stinging sensation prickling his skin.

Holy shit! he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. This woman is going for broke! A Sword Embryo was forged from a sword cultivator’s very life essence, a treasure equivalent to a Golden Core. It was never manifested externally unless the situation was so dire that the cultivator was willing to risk mutual destruction. If that embryo was damaged, the best-case scenario was a shattered cultivation base; the worst was instant death.

“Shen Hanyi! You’re insane!” the young disciple’s face twisted in horror. He recognized the golden light instantly. He had never imagined this favored daughter of the Lone Goose Palace would be so unyielding—willing to incinerate her own foundation just to drag him into the grave with her.

“Break!” The word was wrenched from Shen Hanyi’s throat, ragged and bloody.

The golden Sword Embryo transformed into a streak of light, moving with such extreme velocity it surpassed the eye’s ability to track. Sensing the cataclysmic power within it, the young cultivator abandoned all pretense of grace. His white jade folding fan blazed with frantic light as he waved it desperately, simultaneously layering every protective shield in his arsenal.

Crack!

The jade fan disintegrated instantly, reduced to fine powder. The golden streak didn’t even slow down; it tore through his defenses like a hot needle through silk, puncturing his layered energy shields with effortless contempt.

Thud!

The sickening sound of metal meeting meat echoed through the trees. The light passed clean through the disciple’s chest, erupting in a spray of crimson. But instead of dispersing, the sword acted like a divine nail, pinning the man firmly to the earth. He was paralyzed, his body anchored to the soil by the sheer weight of the sword’s intent.

Perfect opportunity! Zhou Kai’s eyes gleamed with predatory light. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman gets the catch! Fairy Shen, that assist was divine!

He saw his chance to “heroically” intervene. If he saved her now, after everything else, she would be drowning in gratitude. Communication points were practically falling into his lap.

Hesitating no longer, Zhou Kai vaulted from the tree canopy. He landed with a purposeful thud, his voice pitched with the perfect blend of urgency and “righteous” anger.

“Fellow Daoist, hold on! I’m here to help! I am Zhou Kai, Guest Elder of the Chen Family!”

Shen Hanyi turned her head with agonizing slowness. Her vision was a blurred, dark smear from blood loss, but she vaguely recognized the figure who had fled earlier. Her dim eyes clouded with confusion. He… he came back? Why?

The pinned disciple, hearing the name of a Chen Family elder, felt a surge of hope. “Hurry… restrain her! She’s spent…”

Zhou Kai landed near the man, his hand already overflowing with a thick stack of talismans. “Heheh, sure thing, buddy!”

He grinned inwardly. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a flurry of paper. Dozens of talismans scattered through the air like blossoms in a gale, whistling as they homed in on the paralyzed man.

“Sluggish Talisman! Sharp Gold Talisman! Fireball! Lightning Strike! Ice Spike!”

He rained a storm of low and mid-grade magic upon the helpless disciple. Pinned by the Sword Embryo and with rampant sword energy shredding his meridians, the man couldn’t even twitch a finger, let alone activate a defensive treasure. He could only watch in wide-eyed terror as a literal hurricane of elemental spells crashed down on him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The clearing erupted. Flames roared into the sky, lightning snakes hissed through the dirt, and ice shards flew like shrapnel. The disciple’s fine robes were scorched to ash, his skin was flayed, and his flesh was blasted into a charred, unrecognizable mess.

“You… you’re not…” The man’s voice was a wet gurgle of shock and agony. With a trembling hand, he tried to reach for his storage bag, searching for one last life-saving trump card.

A fourth-layer ant dared to scheme against him? Even a fallen tiger was no plaything for insects! If he could just get one chance…

But Zhou Kai wasn’t in the business of giving second chances.

Kick them while they’re down and make sure they stay there. That was his creed.

Zhou Kai pointed his finger, sending a flying sword straight for the man’s dantian. Then, in a final flourish of overkill, he produced the Flame Heart Gourd. He aimed the spout and—Sssss!—a jet of concentrated white-hot flame engulfed the man entirely.

“Aaaaaah!”

The scream was cut short. Between the Sword Embryo’s ravaging energy and Zhou Kai’s relentless barrage, even a seventh-layer cultivator couldn’t survive. Zhou Kai watched expressionlessly until the last movement ceased and the man was nothing more than a smoking husk.

“Hoo…” Zhou Kai exhaled, feeling the drain on his spiritual power. It had been expensive, but worth every bit.

He glanced at Shen Hanyi. She was slumped in the grass, her breathing so faint it barely stirred the air. Reassured, he rushed to the charred corpse, snatched the storage bag, wiped the soul imprint with a practiced flick, and tucked it into his robes. The entire sequence was fluid, professional, and shamelessly efficient.

Only then did he turn his attention to the “beauty” he had come to save.

Shen Hanyi was staring at him. Her clear, icy eyes were a chaotic whirlpool of shock, wariness, and a strange, bewildered relief. She looked like a ghost; the activation of the Sword Embryo had drained her very essence. The golden light had dimmed and retracted into her body, and blood continued to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

“We can’t stay here,” Zhou Kai muttered. The signal flare was still burning, and reinforcements would be swarming the area soon.

He stepped forward, bent down, and scooped her up. Her skin was cool and smooth, her form soft and surprisingly light. He slapped a Gale Talisman onto his leg and took off, a blur of motion heading deep into the untamed forest.

As he ran, the faint scent of orchids mixed with the metallic tang of blood filled his senses. Her weak breath brushed against his neck like a feather, and despite the torn garments and the gravity of the situation, he couldn’t help but notice the breathtaking curves of the slender legs draped over his arm.

Dammit, focus! Lust is a bone-scraping blade! he scolded himself. Still, the feeling of fleeing with a peerless sword fairy in his arms was undeniably exhilarating.

“Fairy, I’ve saved you twice now,” he whispered, looking down at her fading consciousness with a grin. “You’d better remember this debt.”

Shen Hanyi’s eyelids fluttered. She seemed to want to speak, but only a faint, melodic hum escaped her throat before she slipped into total unconsciousness.

Zhou Kai ran for two hours until his spiritual power was nearly dry. Finally, he discovered a small opening at the base of a cliff, hidden behind a curtain of thick vines. After checking for beasts, he crawled inside.

The cave was shallow but dry. He laid her down gently on a bed of dried grass and slumped against the wall, panting heavily. Outside, the first light of dawn was breaking. He wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced over at the unconscious woman. Even in her disheveled state, her graceful silhouette was enough to make his heart skip.

“Safe for now…”