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

Chapter 222: Li Youci’s Mind Shatters! My Husband Became My Uncle?!

Inside the Dark Cloud Soul Chasing Sedan, the storm had passed, leaving only the quiet aftermath.

Li Youci lay limp in the corner of the brocade couch, her hair a disheveled cascade of silk. She was melted like spring water, drained of the strength to even lift a finger.

Chen Ziyi and the other three women were flushed, their breathing uneven. They had each found a spot to collapse, their eyes still holding the hazy mist of passion, now mixed with a new layer of reverence and infatuation as they gazed at Zhou Kai.

Zhou Kai felt refreshed. The Lotus Platform in his Dantian spun rhythmically, the Five Elements power flowing with unprecedented purity. His Viscera Refining physique hummed with boundless Vitality.

He mused silently that in his current state, perhaps only women of Shen Hanyi or Li Yunmian’s caliber could truly keep up with him in a “sparring match.”

As the thought arose, the sedan curtain lifted silently.

A figure in snow-white robes entered. Shen Hanyi stood there, cool and aloof. Her hand was not on her sword. She simply swept her gaze over the chaotic interior of the sedan before locking onto Zhou Kai.

“Hanyi, I thought you’d come straight in,” Zhou Kai laughed, reaching out to pull the slipping Li Youci back into his embrace.

Li Youci trembled, the warmth and dominance of his arms deepening the blush on her face.

She looked up and froze. Her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

“You… you’ve also reached Intent Tempering?”

She remembered clearly that nine years ago, Shen Hanyi was merely at the Fifth Layer of Spirit Shaping. This velocity of progress was terrifying—bordering on impossible.

Shen Hanyi’s cool gaze rested on Li Youci, then shifted to Zhou Kai. Her tone was flat, stating a fact.

“Husband’s Creation Qi is miraculous. Youci… you missed out.”

Li Youci’s mind blanked. She looked at Shen Hanyi, then at Zhou Kai’s matter-of-fact expression. A cocktail of regret and frustration churned in her gut.

“If dealing with the Ghost Body wasn’t so troublesome, I could have attempted Golden Core twenty years ago!” Li Youci retorted stubbornly, though her voice lacked its usual bite.

“Alright, the past is the past.” Zhou Kai patted her back soothingly, then turned to the Chen sisters. “Let’s talk after we return to Shangqing City. Where are the others?”

Chen Ziyi smiled gently. “For the first two years of Husband’s Secluded Cultivation, it was Sister Yunmian who acted as Dharma Protector. Only in this last year did Sister Hanyi take over. Sister Hanyi only summoned us a month ago when she sensed signs of your imminent breakthrough. The others are waiting at Spirit Mountain.”

“You called her what? Sister Yunmian?”

Li Youci caught the title instantly. Her brain short-circuited.

She broke free from Zhou Kai’s embrace, pointing a trembling finger at him, her voice pitching up.

“Ziyi, you said… Sister Yunmian? Zhou Kai! You… you actually… even my Aunt?!”

Half a day later. Spirit Mountain West Peak, Council Hall.

The hall was solemn, decorated with carved beams and painted rafters.

Li Youci and Li Yunmian sat side by side in the main seats at the head of the hall.

Li Yunmian wore her elegant, luxurious palace attire, a trace of habitual laziness lingering between her brows.

Below them, Zhou Kai and Gao Feiyang sat on the left and right. Gao Feiyang sat stiffly upright, his flashy golden robes looking comically out of place in the tense atmosphere. He tried to speak several times but was silenced by Li Youci’s icy glare.

“Ahem.” Li Yunmian coughed lightly, breaking the silence. She glanced at her niece’s rigid face and spoke lazily. “Youci, state the business. My old bones at Golden Core Fifth Layer can’t withstand this drama.”

“Golden Core Fifth Layer?!”

Li Youci’s face twitched. Zhou Kai again!

A wave of stifled frustration rose in her chest. Even her Aunt’s major advancement was thanks to him!

Forcing down her chaotic thoughts, she spoke coldly.

“The war between the Righteous and Demonic paths has stalled. Ever since that inexplicable beam of light erupted from the Crouching Tiger Mountain ruins, the space there has become unstable. It is no longer suitable for exploration.”

“It is estimated that in less than ten years, the ruins will seal completely. When they open next… who knows what era that will be.”

She paused, then continued. “Currently, both sides use Crouching Tiger City as the DMZ. A thousand li to the south is Demonic territory. Both factions are exercising restraint; minor skirmishes are constant, but major conflicts have ceased.”

“I suspect we are entering a phase of negotiation. Neither side has a blood feud deep enough to justify mutual destruction.”

Zhou Kai nodded. He was more concerned about the anomaly. “What exactly is inside those ruins?”

“The endpoint is a waterfall flowing backward into the sky. The internal space is vast, filled with ancient halls and pavilions. Fated Chances and fatal dangers coexist. Cultivators now call it the ‘Sky-Toppling Cave’,” Li Youci explained.

“Sky-Toppling Cave…” Zhou Kai and Gao Feiyang murmured the name.

“How do we return to the Sect?” Zhou Kai asked the critical question.

Li Youci looked at him, her expression complex. “You have formed your Golden Core. You are a pillar of the Sect. Once you report in, an edict will summon you back and bestow an Elder position. Shangqing City only requires one Golden Core guardian.”

She shifted her tone, her gaze scraping past Li Yunmian’s profile.

“As for Aunt… without a transfer order, she must complete her hundred-year garrison term. Unless she advances to Nascent Soul, or finds another Golden Core volunteer to replace her.”

The words were a statement of fact, but also a provocation.

“What about me? Miss, what about me?” Gao Feiyang raised his hand eagerly.

Li Youci didn’t even lift her eyelids. “Whoever brought you here is responsible for taking you back.”

Gao Feiyang wilted instantly.

The council adjourned. Gao Feiyang fled.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the professional atmosphere in the hall dissolved.

Li Youci and Li Yunmian exchanged a glance. The air seemed to freeze.

Suddenly, Li Youci stood up. She flashed down from the main seat, wrapping her arms around Zhou Kai’s arm and pressing her body against him. Her voice turned soft and cloying.

“My Husband is a dignified Golden Core Great Cultivator. He shouldn’t have to sit below and suffer indignity.”

She forcibly pulled Zhou Kai up to the main seat, taking her place standing beside him like an obedient little wife.

Li Yunmian’s eye twitched at the speed of the face-change.

“Tsk tsk, Youci,” Li Yunmian shifted, leaning lazily against her chair. Her eyes sparkled with playful mockery as she scrutinized her niece.

She extended a slender finger, pointing vaguely at Li Youci.

“In the future… should I call you Sister? Or should I call you Little Sister?”

Li Youci’s face flushed crimson. She stamped her foot. “Aunt!”

Zhou Kai sat comfortably in the patriarch’s seat, enjoying the attention of two generations of stunning beauties. He looked at Li Yunmian, his expression turning serious.

“Yunmian, your Spirit Root is Heavenly Grade. Why is your progress still so slow?”

Li Yunmian shifted again, stretching her legs. Her eyes were half-lidded, her tone a mix of complaint and coquetry.

“What a bother. All of you are advancing, going back to the Sect to become big shots. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here for decades, rotting in this city.”

“It seems someone’s Creation Qi… discriminates based on distance.”

As she spoke, she swayed her foot, “inadvertently” lifting the hem of her skirt to reveal a glimpse of a slender ankle clad in exquisite silk.

“I wove these socks myself. I don’t know if they fit…”

Zhou Kai laughed heartily. He scooped her up in one arm and pulled Li Youci close with the other, striding toward the rear hall.

“We’ll know if they fit after I try them!”

“Today, the Creation Qi is on tap!”

The transfer order from Calamity Abyss Valley arrived faster than expected.

Perhaps due to the influence of the Li siblings, the Sect directly appointed Zhou Kai and Shen Hanyi as Elders, temporarily stationed at Taiji Peak.

Zhou Kai wasn’t in a hurry. He decided to wait for the Sect’s great transport ship, arriving in six months.

Mo Qianyuan remained in Secluded Cultivation, attempting to break the bottleneck to the Late Foundation Establishment stage. Zhou Kai sensed her aura was stable, so he didn’t intervene with the System.

He enjoyed the leisure, returning to his idle days.

One day, he visited the Asking Star Sect.

Inside the spacious tea room, melodious music played.

Wang Daishan and Wang Xu’er led a troupe of graceful dancers, accompanied by musicians playing soul-stirring tunes.

When Zhou Kai appeared at the door, an invisible, oceanic Aura Pressure washed over the room.

The music died. The dancers froze mid-step.

Wang Daishan, Wang Xu’er, and every cultivator present turned pale, their breath catching in their throats. They stared in horror at the familiar figure.

Golden Core Pressure!

Senior… he succeeded?!

The pressure vanished, but the silence remained heavy.

He Xinrou was the first to recover. Taking a deep breath, she led Sun Qingli, Wang Daishan, and Wang Xu’er forward. They bowed deeply, voices trembling.

“Congratulations to Senior on forming the Golden Core! May the Great Dao be within reach!”

Zhou Kai smiled faintly. “Rise.”

His gaze swept over them, settling on Sun Qingli. He reached out, pulling the pale beauty into his embrace. Only then did he address He Xinrou.

“Tell me. How is the Asking Star Sect?”

He Xinrou relaxed, beginning her report respectfully.

“Reporting to Senior. The Sect currently has 329 disciples. Qingli and I are at the Second Realm, Second Layer. Elders Wang Daishan and Wang Xu’er have reached Qi Condensation Ninth Layer and can attempt Foundation Establishment within three years.”

“The Earth Fire Ants bestowed by Senior have multiplied to over 500. They are a significant combat asset…”

Zhou Kai listened while enjoying the softness in his arms. With a casual wave, three Jade Slips appeared on the table.

“I acquired some Dharma legacies,” he said flatly. “They aren’t comparable to the Primordial Edgeless Art, but they are solid. Cultivate them or bestow them on disciples.”

“Since you have experience with Spirit Insects, try walking the path of an Insect Cultivator.”

He produced a Storage Bag containing a hundred glowing Split Back Katydid eggs and the first two layers of the Heavenly Demon Return to Origin Art.

“This technique is for Demonic Beasts. You can raise beasts from youth. This is only the beginning; I will provide the rest when you are stronger.”

He Xinrou’s breathing quickened, eyes filled with joy.

“I will be returning to the main Sect soon,” Zhou Kai continued. “Use this time to take over the Heavenly Craft Tower’s business. With the Qian Family running the City Lord’s Mansion and the Garrison Elder’s backing, you will face no obstacles.”

“Just remember: Every three years, remit 80% of the profits to the Garrison Elder.”

“This Junior obeys!” He Xinrou responded, voice trembling with excitement.

Zhou Kai looked at He Xinrou, Sun Qingli, and the Wang sisters.

He waved his hand. “Dismiss the others.”

He Xinrou immediately cleared the room of dancers and musicians.

The vast tea room was left with only Zhou Kai and four beauties, each with her own allure.

“Only six months left… I must seize the time to enjoy!”