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

The interior of Material Brilliance was cavernous, yet the array of materials within was arranged with such terrifying precision that it was breathtaking.

On the left, talisman papers were stacked from the humblest yellow sheets to high-grade jade papers shimmering with spiritual light. They were organized by rank, material, and size. Even the grain of the paper flowed in a single direction, and the edges were aligned so perfectly they looked like they had been cut by a laser.

On the right, natural treasures—ores, metals, spirit woods—were categorized with obsessive care. Large with large, small with small. Colors were clustered together, positioned so that even their angles of reflection were uniform.

Further inside lay the demon beast materials.

Pelts, bones, cores, claws, fangs…

Even the pelts were groomed into submission. Every single hair lay flat in the exact same direction, emitting a faint, processed fragrance.

The shelf labels were even scarier. Name, vintage, properties—everything was listed in impeccable handwriting. The size and spacing of every character were identical, as if measured by a ruler down to the micrometer.

Zhou Kai inwardly clicked his tongue. What kind of mentally ill… ah, no, what kind of person with immense perseverance runs this place?

“Senior Sister Mo is actually in the shop today! Lucky us!” Fish Baibai whispered, suppressing a giggle as she gestured with her chin.

Zhou Kai followed her gaze. Behind the counter stood a woman in a pale Daoist robe, her back to them. The robe was pristine, without a single wrinkle, as if it had just been tailored that very second.

Her ink-black hair was held up by a simple jade hairpin. Every strand was distinct, glossy, and perfectly placed. Not a single split end could be found.

She was currently reprimanding a clerk. Her speech was rapid-fire, yet every syllable was crystal clear, like pearls striking a jade plate.

“…How many times do I have to repeat myself? The display angle of this batch of Hundred-Year Fire Cloud Vines is off by three degrees! Three degrees! Buyers will spot our sloppy storage management at a glance and question the integrity of our materials!

“And you! The Cold Iron Ore that arrived yesterday—why isn’t it arranged by hardness gradient? Do you want customers to think we can’t distinguish basic mineral properties?

“And those Wind Wolf brush hairs over there! Why are the tips not uniformly angled thirty-seven degrees to the left? Are you trying to kill me?! Do you have any idea how much visual distress this causes? Do you want me to personally readjust every single one?!”

The clerks were sweating buckets, nodding like chickens pecking rice, afraid to even breathe too loudly.

Zhou Kai’s eye twitched.

At that moment, the woman sensed new arrivals. She turned slowly.

Zhou Kai finally saw her face.

Exquisite brows, a sculpted nose, and cherry lips—she was a beauty of ethereal grace. However, her eyes were so critical and piercing that one instinctively wanted to look away to hide their flaws.

The collar and cuffs of her robe were embroidered with complex, profound runes that flowed with faint spiritual light. Clearly, this was no ordinary garment.

“Senior Sister Mo! I brought a Junior Brother to buy materials!” Fish Baibai grinned, stepping forward without a hint of fear.

The woman, Mo Qianyuan, swept her gaze over Fish Baibai, then settled on Zhou Kai. Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if assessing whether his clothes were symmetrical and his posture standard.

“Junior Sister Fish,” Mo Qianyuan said coolly. “The thirty-sixth strand of fluff on the left ear of your rabbit Storage Bag. Yes, the thirty-sixth one counting from the top. It’s sticking up. Does that not cause you physical pain?”

Fish Baibai instinctively touched the rabbit pouch at her waist. Sure enough, a tiny, rebellious tuft of fur was standing up.

“Hehe!” She smoothed it down carelessly. “Senior Sister Mo, your eyesight is amazing as always!”

Mo Qianyuan’s frown deepened. She seemed displeased with the lack of shame, but she turned to business.

“Speak. What do you need? I’ll state this upfront: my shop only sells top-grade goods at fair prices. If you want to haggle, turn right and leave. I won’t see you out.”

Zhou Kai stepped forward. “Senior Sister Mo, I am Zhou Kai. I wish to forge a hammer-type magical treasure. I need special Refined Gold and Heavywood.”

“A hammer?” Mo Qianyuan looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his arms.

“Body Cultivator? Do you focus on brute force or technique? How long is the handle? Precise to the millimeter. What is the head shape? Square, round, octagonal, melon-ridged? Weight requirement? What attribute of Vitality will you infuse?”

The barrage of questions made Zhou Kai’s scalp tingle.

Fish Baibai chimed in to save him. “Senior Sister Mo, Junior Brother Zhou is a dual cultivator. He wants a hammer compatible with both Vitality and Mana! Ideally, they should complement each other. The more powerful, the better!”

Mo Qianyuan re-evaluated Zhou Kai, her tone softening slightly. “Dual cultivation… and you want compatibility? Ambitious. Ordinary materials won’t suffice.”

She tapped her finger in the empty air, eyes losing focus as if performing complex mental calculations.

“To accommodate both Vitality and Mana, the material requires extreme toughness and conductivity. For the metal, I recommend Nine-Tempered Star-Patterned Steel. It has been folded and forged nine times; the internal structure is stable enough to bear explosive force.

“For the wood, the Void-Entwining Heart Vine is suitable. The wood is dense and heavy, and the core has mutated. It conducts Vitality well but retains a high affinity for Mana.

“These two are the only combination in this shop that can satisfy your… greedy requirements.”

Zhou Kai nodded repeatedly. The names alone sounded domineering. Definitely good stuff!

“I’ll listen to Senior Sister Mo! How much for these two?”

Mo Qianyuan spoke calmly. “Nine-Tempered Star-Patterned Steel: three hundred Spirit Stones per jin. We sell only net weight, impurities removed. Void-Entwining Heart Vine: one thousand Spirit Stones per chi. We only sell the core segments with the densest energy patterns.”

Zhou Kai sucked in a cold breath and looked at Fish Baibai.

Fish Baibai stuck out her tongue and sent a mental transmission: [Junior Brother Zhou, these are notoriously expensive, but the quality is real! You’ll need at least fifty jin of steel and thirteen chi of wood!]

Zhou Kai did the math.

That was twenty-eight thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

He felt his heart seize. He touched his Storage Bag; the mid-grade Spirit Stones he had just looted from Red Cliff Town seemed to be weeping inside.

But… this is for my life-bound weapon. My divine soldier.

“I’ll take it!”

Leaving Material Brilliance, Zhou Kai couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Sister Fish, that Senior Sister Mo… uh, her tongue is quite sharp. Does it not affect business?”

Fish Baibai covered her mouth and laughed. “Senior Sister Mo is rarely in the shop. She spends most of her time at Yantian Peak crafting talismans. She’s a Talisman Master; her skills are god-tier.”

“I see.” Zhou Kai nodded.

The materials were secured, and Fish Baibai had been a huge help. He felt generous.

“Senior Sister Fish, thanks to you, I got the best stuff. How about I treat you to a meal?”

“Eh? Senior Sister Mo picked the materials; I just walked you here.” Fish Baibai tilted her head, then her eyes flashed. “But! Even if you feed me, I can only give you a twenty percent discount on the forging fee! Twenty percent!”

“Deal!” Zhou Kai agreed instantly. “Where do you want to eat?”

“Naihe Tower!” Fish Baibai’s eyes lit up, licking her lips greedily. “Their dishes are the best! Let’s go, hurry, or we won’t get a seat!”

“Naihe Tower?”

Zhou Kai tasted the name. Tower of No Return? It didn’t sound like a serious restaurant. But seeing Fish Baibai’s excitement, the food had to be good.

They soon arrived. The building was grand, with carved beams and painted rafters, guarded by two majestic stone Qilins. However, the three characters for “Naihe Tower” on the signboard were written in a script that oozed an indescribable… uncanniness.

Inside, it was a riot of noise. Cultivators were shouting, toasting, and drinking heavily.

Fish Baibai navigated the chaos like a pro, grabbed a window seat, and snatched the menu.

“This ‘Thunder-Struck Black Flood Dragon Meat’—crispy outside, tender inside, gives you a little electric shock when you bite it—must order!

“And this ‘Yellow Spring Egg Custard’, made from the eggs of nether birds. Incredibly fresh!

“‘Soul-Bewitching Soup’… oh wait, that’s wine. Not today.

“Hmm, ‘Three Lives Stone Roasted Lamb’, ‘Hellish Spicy Stir-Fry’… one of each!”

Zhou Kai’s eye twitched as he listened to the order. Did the cultivators of Calamity Abyss Valley all have such unique naming senses?

Soon, dishes with bizarre shapes and tantalizing aromas flowed onto the table.

Fish Baibai attacked the food with both hands, cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk, mumbling introductions between bites.

“Junior Brother Zhou, try this ‘Netherworld Ghost Claw’! Gnawing on it is so satisfying! And this ‘Azure Skies Duo Platter’—half sky-bird, half underground-insect. The flavor is absolute!”

Watching her satisfied face, Zhou Kai had a realization. This girl was, at her core, a simple foodie. To build a relationship with her, a food offensive was the way to go.

I’ll bring her snacks every day under the guise of discussing hammer techniques, he plotted.

The meal ended with both host and guest happy—mostly the guest.

Fish Baibai patted her slightly rounded belly and let out a satisfied burp. “Ah, that was great! Don’t worry, Junior Brother Zhou. I’ll go back and really think about your hammer. Come find me at Taiji Peak tomorrow. I haven’t worked with these two materials before, so I need to do some research.”

“I’ll trouble you then, Senior Sister.”

After parting ways, Zhou Kai returned to his cave atop Taiji Peak.

He sat cross-legged and circulated the Starfall Myriad Manifestation Hammer. He timed his session precisely, cultivating for two hours.

When he opened his eyes, the sunset still lingered on the horizon. He checked his stats.

[Vitality: Bone Forging Layer 1 (350/)]

“Slow and steady.”

He stood up and immediately left the cave, speeding toward the Outer Sect.

Night was falling. The great “Exchange” business could not be delayed.