Smack!

Wen Huanhuan’s palm landed sharply on the hand wandering around her waist.

Li Meng snatched his hand back, recoiling like a startled hare.

Wen Huanhuan felt a surge of smug satisfaction. Serves you right, brat. Who told you to bully me?

“Hmph! You really have the audacity of a lecher. Aren’t you afraid your Senior Brother Han will find out?”

Li Meng pulled her back into his arms, his expression one of pure contentment. “Senior will protect me.”

“Hmph. Who cares if you die?”

“Would Senior truly bear to see me die?”

“Stop getting so handsy! You’re asking for a beating…”

“Ouch! Senior, be gentle!”

“You asked for it!”

For a while, the room was filled with the sounds of their playful struggle. Wen Huanhuan’s voice shifted constantly—sometimes charming and coquettish, sometimes flustered and exasperated, and occasionally, meltingly gentle.

Every now and then, a thud would echo as Li Meng was kicked off the bed. But like a stubborn plaster, he would peel himself off the floor and stick right back to her side.

It wasn’t until nightfall that the room finally fell silent.

“Enough. Stop fooling around.” Wen Huanhuan’s tone turned serious. “You were heavily injured this time, and your Qi is unstable. Hurry up and meditate.”

On the bed in the inner chamber, Li Meng and Wen Huanhuan sat cross-legged, facing each other.

Hoo…

Li Meng took a deep breath, exhaling a mouthful of turbid air.

Wen Huanhuan formed hand seals. A golden light ignited within her beautiful eyes, transforming her demeanor instantly. The playful, seductive woman vanished, replaced by a cold, emotionless deity overlooking the mortal world.

“I have cultivated a secret art called the Shocking God Art. Although I practiced it incorrectly and damaged myself, it allows me to establish a Soul Connection with you. Through this specialized Dual Cultivation, I can help you recover your damaged soul.”

Her voice was icy and commanding. “Do not get distracted. Release your soul and merge it with mine.”

Li Meng nodded solemnly. He placed his hands on his thighs, closed his eyes, and entered a state of deep meditation, casting aside all stray thoughts.

He released his Divine Sense, probing tentatively toward Senior Wen.

Immediately, he felt a gentle, enveloping Divine Sense rise to meet him. It tangled with his own, soft and yielding.

The souls of the two cultivators blended seamlessly. Boundaries dissolved. There was no ‘he’ or ‘she,’ only a shared consciousness.

Li Meng’s Sea of Consciousness was bathed in a warm, golden glow. He could feel the cracks in his soul—injuries from the backlash of using high-tier talismans—mending at a miraculous speed.

The Soul Refining Art within him began to operate spontaneously, resonating with Wen Huanhuan’s energy.

Li Meng was overjoyed. The Shocking God Art was a Soul Dual Cultivation technique!

His inability to perform physical Dual Cultivation due to his specific physique had always been a thorn in his side. While Soul Dual Cultivation couldn’t directly increase his cultivation base like the physical act, no cultivator would ever turn down a chance to strengthen their soul.

As a master of four Sub-professions—Alchemy, Talismans, Arrays, and Artifact Refining—Li Meng’s demand for soul strength was insatiable.

This art was practically tailor-made for him.

Junior Sister Chen, Junior Sister Hua, Junior Sister Yuan, Senior Sister Qu… they can all learn this. I can finally Dual Cultivate with them!

Focus!

Wen Huanhuan’s Divine Sense transmission cut through his wandering thoughts like a bell. Li Meng immediately recentered himself.

On the bed, their bodies sat motionless, but their souls were entwined in an intimate dance.

Time lost its meaning.

Five days later.

In the Heaven-Grade room, the man and woman opened their eyes simultaneously.

“Senior, you…”

Li Meng looked at Wen Huanhuan with a complex expression. A flicker of genuine heartache crossed his eyes.

He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.

During their connection, he had seen the truth. Wen Huanhuan’s Sea of Consciousness was a ruin of shattered fragments. It was a terrifying sight, revealing just how severely her Dao Heart had been broken in the past.

Moreover, the gap in their cultivation was vast. A Golden Core soul merging with a Foundation Establishment soul yielded no benefit to the stronger party. Wen Huanhuan hadn’t gained a thing from this session; she had purely acted as a crutch for him to heal.

Wen Huanhuan caught his look and glared at him.

“Hmph. What is that look? Disgusting.”

She snorted coldly, her voluptuous figure rising from the bed. With a wave of her slender hand, an ancient jade slip flew out of her storage bag and hovered in front of him.

“This is the manual for the Shocking God Art. You have to return it to the sect eventually. Listen to me carefully: The partner for Soul Dual Cultivation must be someone you completely trust. Even a sliver of doubt acts like a blade.”

Her voice turned grave. “If I wanted to kill you just now, a single thought would have turned you into a vegetable. I have never done this with anyone before—not even Senior Brother Han. If you give your soul to a woman who betrays you, your path to immortality will be severed instantly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Without waiting for a response, Wen Huanhuan transformed into a streak of Light concealment and shot out the window, vanishing into the sky.

Li Meng looked down at the jade slip in his hand.

“Someone I completely trust…”

In this treacherous world, who was worthy of such trust?

Only Junior Sister Chen and Senior Sister Qu. Their Affection values were maxed out at 100. Junior Sisters Yuan and Hua were close, but ‘close’ wasn’t enough when your life was on the line.

[System: +20 Affection] [System: +100 Sub-profession Experience]

Li Meng pursed his lips at the system prompt.

Senior Wen’s Affection was incredibly hard to farm. After all that intimacy, it was only at 50 points. Raising it to the max would take ages.

“Take it slow,” he murmured, a faint smile touching his lips.

He stretched lazily and began to study the jade slip.

Two hours later.

“So that’s the catch.”

Li Meng sat on the bed, muttering to himself. The Shocking God Art was a derivative of the Soul Refining Art, adding several soul-attack spells and the Soul Dual Cultivation method.

But the cultivation method was a double-edged sword.

It wasn’t that the technique was hard to learn; the risk was simply astronomical. Handing your soul to another was the ultimate vulnerability. Even blood relatives or Dao Companions rarely achieved the absolute trust required to make it safe.

Even with the System, I won’t risk this with anyone unless their Affection is 100.

Li Meng hopped off the bed. He had been in the inn for five days; it was time to move.

Click.

He unlocked the door and stepped out.

Half an hour later.

Li Meng led the group of Joyous Union Sect disciples out of the Heifeng Stronghold inn. They summoned their flying swords, rising into the air and streaking toward the horizon.

Half a month later.

At the edge of the Western Desert.

The group hovered at an altitude of a thousand meters, the endless sands stretching out behind them.

“Junior Brother, have a smooth journey.”

Li Xi smiled gracefully at Li Meng. she bowed deeply, cupping her hands in a formal salute.

As she bent forward, her robes loosened slightly, revealing a flash of snowy white cleavage.

It was brief—a mere instant—but Li Meng’s eyes captured it with practiced precision.

He chuckled warmly, returning the salute. “Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters. I will take my leave here.”

The Joyous Union Sect disciples bowed in unison.

Li Meng turned to the woman beside him. “Junior Sister Lu, let’s go.”

Lu Zimo nodded.

Together, they broke away from the main group, transforming into two streaks of sword light that vanished over the eastern horizon.

The next day. State of Qi.

Two figures descended from the clouds, landing on the edge of a high cliff overlooking a lush landscape of mountains and rivers.

It was Li Meng and Lu Zimo.

Standing at the precipice, they looked out at the mortal world below. The time for their arranged ‘parting’ had finally arrived.

Lu Zimo turned to look at the man beside her.

“Senior Brother… do you know how vast and boundless the world outside truly is?”