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

“My little ones…”

Three Jade Arm Mantises rested quietly on a protruding rock, their bodies now larger than a human palm.

Their exoskeletons were flawless, possessing the warm, translucent quality of high-grade jade without a single blemish. Most striking were their iconic forelimb scythes—they had completely calcified into white jade, the edges flickering with a cold, lethal gleam.

Sensing Zhou Kai’s arrival, the three mantises emitted cheerful, vibrating chirps. In a blur of green and white, they transformed into streaks of light—Whoosh!—and landed on his shoulders and arms, nuzzling his cheeks with affectionate chirps.

“Early Second Rank!”

Zhou Kai’s eyes flashed with intensity, his heart swelling with wild joy.

Nourished by a massive diet of Star Sand Pills and Spirit Rhyme, these three had not only successfully broken through, but their foundations were far more solid than any wild Demon Beast. Furthermore, thanks to a year of Rift Rending Pills, their speed had reached a realm that defied logic.

“With a few more bursts of Spirit Rhyme, reaching the Mid Second Rank is within reach!”

Zhou Kai turned his gaze to the cave wall. There, clinging densely to the rock face, was a swarm of Split Back Katydids.

They were still small, barely the size of a fingernail, but the pitch-black elytra on their backs shone with a metallic luster, looking as if they were cast from dark iron. Among the hundreds of them, more than half radiated the aura of the Early Second Rank.

“Go!”

With a thought, Zhou Kai commanded several dozen Second Rank Katydids to charge.

There was no thunderous roar, only a series of dull, terrifying thuds—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The swarm transformed into a sheet of black light, slamming violently into the stone wall.

The solid rock face instantly spiderwebbed with cracks, stone dust raining down in sheets. The impact force was concentrated into pinpoints, terrifyingly dense.

Watching from the side, Wu Hongxiao’s eyelids twitched.

“That force…” She gasped, her voice losing its usual composure. “If an ordinary Bone Forging mid-stage cultivator took that hit unprepared, their bones would be shattered and their tendons snapped in a single exchange!”

Wu Hongxiao was a Bone Forging Seventh Layer cultivator herself; she knew exactly how terrifying raw physical impact could be.

Zhou Kai grinned. Both his Body and Qi cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer of the Second Realm. His Divine Sense rivaled a Golden Core First Layer cultivator. And now, he had this army of power-leveled Spirit Insects.

With my current strength, I should be able to exchange a few moves with Hanyi, right?

The thought bubbled up from his subconscious. Shen Hanyi’s Suppress Demon Return to Ruins Sword Embryo possessed killing power that rivaled the Heavenly Dao itself—indestructible and all-conquering.

Once I kill that scum Yun Kang, I’ll head back to Crouching Tiger City and spar with her!

“My god, Zhou Kai, what kind of monsters are you raising?” Wu Hongxiao leaned in, her eyes shining with curiosity as she stared at the lethal jade mantises. “Can I borrow them to play with for a couple of days?”

Zhou Kai rolled his eyes but handed one over. “Here. Be careful, don’t hurt them.”

He then turned to Du Chuyao, who had stood silently by the side like a statue, and cupped his hands. “Fairy Du, you said you would escort me back to Crouching Tiger City after we dealt with Yun Kang and Wan Lang. Do we have a timeline?”

“I have already instructed the sect disciples to search for their traces,” Du Chuyao replied coolly.

Hearing this, Zhou Kai’s mind whirred. This was the perfect opportunity to complete the task his ‘cheap Master’ had assigned him.

He paused for a moment, feigning a casual tone. “That Wan Lang hails from the Desire Wonder Palace. That sect is infamous for refining insidious aphrodisiacs and love poisons. If he happens to carry the sect’s pill legacy on him…”

Before he could finish, Wu Hongxiao’s brows furrowed sharply. She cut him off with a glare.

“What do you want that filth for? Planning to learn those scummy tricks to bully innocent girls? Zhou Kai, let me tell you right now—if you dare walk the crooked path, don’t blame my spear for not recognizing our friendship!”

“Junior Sister, you wound me.”

Zhou Kai put on a bitter smile, his expression the picture of misunderstood nobility.

“I am an Alchemist. I am simply interested in the formulas from an academic standpoint. The Desire Wonder Palace’s love poisons are notoriously domineering. If I can study their formulas and find a cure, countless cultivators could be saved from victimization in the future.”

Seeing that Wu Hongxiao still looked skeptical, Zhou Kai didn’t waste breath arguing. With a flick of his wrist, a jade bottle appeared in his palm.

“This is a pill I refined recently.”

He popped the cork. A single pill rolled out—pure white, crystalline, with a pill aura so dense it felt tangible.

“This… isn’t this a Top-Grade Third Rank Spirit Nurturing Pill?” Wu Hongxiao gasped, pointing a trembling finger at him. “You… you… aren’t you a Third Rank Artifact Refiner? How can you also be…”

Zhou Kai stowed the pill away, brushing off imaginary dust from his sleeve. “I am untalented. I have merely dabbled in the Dao of Alchemy. Currently, I humbly hold the title of Third Rank Alchemist.”

Dual mastery in Alchemy and Artifact Refining—both at the Third Rank!

Wu Hongxiao’s jaw dropped so low an egg could have fit inside.

Beside her, Du Chuyao felt a tsunami of shock crash through her mind.

For an ordinary Late Second Realm cultivator, breaking through to the Third Rank in any of the Cultivation Arts was enough to be hailed as a genius and revered by thousands.

But Zhou Kai? Dual mastery? Both at Third Rank?

The word “genius” was insufficient. It was insulting.

Others might not know the timeline, but Du Chuyao knew intimately.

Zhou Kai had only just reached the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer after obtaining her Primordial Yin. Before that, he was merely at the mid-stage. Yet, he had already achieved Third Rank proficiency in two professions—a feat theoretically reserved for those approaching the Golden Core.

A year ago, outside Crouching Tiger City, he was a weakling at the Second Realm, Third Layer battling Di An.

In just over a year, his cultivation had skyrocketed by four layers, and his Alchemy and Artifact Refining had advanced in lockstep to the Third Rank.

This speed… this comprehension…

This wasn’t a genius. This was a monster. An absolute, heaven-defying monster!

Du Chuyao forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart. Her face remained icy, but deep within her golden pupils, violent emotions churned.

She looked deeply at Zhou Kai and spoke slowly, her voice betraying no emotion. “Fine. I will retrieve the formula for you.”

“Senior Sister! Leave Yun Kang to me and Zhou Kai!” Wu Hongxiao snapped out of her daze, pumping her fist with renewed fighting spirit. “We can’t just sit here and wait!”

For the next two months, a strange peace settled over the cave dwelling.

Du Chuyao went out frequently, hunting for traces of Yun Kang and Wan Lang.

Zhou Kai and Wu Hongxiao remained behind. Wu Hongxiao spent her days meditating or practicing her spear techniques in the open space within the defensive Formation.

Zhou Kai, however, devoted his entire focus to tempering his life-bound Dharma Treasure, the Chaotic Sky Hammer.

As for helping Wu Hongxiao upgrade her spear? He had other plans.

If he did it now, the transaction was over. But if he waited until they returned to Crouching Tiger City, he could use it as an excuse to make her visit him personally. One visit leads to two, and eventually… opportunities arise.

Deep inside the artifact refining chamber, the Chaotic Sky Hammer floated in mid-air.

The pitch-black surface of the hammer was currently being invaded by slowly spreading crimson veins. The Blood Pattern Mithril had already melted, transforming into a viscous, blood-colored ribbon that wrapped around the weapon.

“Rise!”

Without hesitation, Zhou Kai flicked his finger. The Dragon Elephant True Bone shot into the center of the blood-red ribbon.

BOOM!

The Dragon Elephant True Bone remained immovable. The spiritual light of the bone clashed violently with the Blood Pattern Mithril, emitting low, dull thuds of rejection.

Suddenly, a Dragon Elephant’s roar—ancient and desolate—pierced through the void and exploded directly inside Zhou Kai’s Consciousness Sea.

Zhou Kai’s body swayed, his face draining of color. However, his Consciousness Sea was fortified like a fortress; it trembled for a split second before stabilizing, firm as a rock.

If he were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, that mental blast would have shattered his focus and inflicted severe soul damage.

Fish Baibai, you scammer!

Zhou Kai cursed internally. You said to use the bone, but you didn’t mention the remnant will was this ferocious! How did you, a Second Rank refiner, handle this back then? If my Divine Sense wasn’t this hard, I’d be puking blood right now!

He didn’t know that Fish Baibai had used a pre-processed bone with the will already purged. She never expected Zhou Kai to try refining a fresh, raw True Bone himself.

Zhou Kai’s eyes narrowed. He stopped holding back.

His Divine Sense surged out, coalescing into an invisible, crushing hand that slammed down onto the Dragon Elephant True Bone with the weight of a mountain.

Submit!

Blue smoke rose from the bone but did not disperse. The mournful cry of the Dragon Elephant gradually faded into silence…