Yu Xiang remained seated on the cold stone floor, her back pressed against the ornate bedframe where Ying Jia—now radiating an aura of Peak Soul Formation—sat cross-legged, stabilizing her breakthrough.
The air in the chamber hung heavy with residual spiritual energy, thick and humid like the aftermath of a storm, carrying faint traces of jasmine incense and something more primal, more intimate.
Yu Xiang's hands still tingled from where she'd channeled qi into the silver-haired woman's meridians, helping guide the explosive surge of power that had elevated her from a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator to a force that now eclipsed Yu Xiang's own Peak Core Formation by realms.
It was impossible. Utterly, maddeningly impossible. Yet here it was, undeniable, mocking her ambitions.
"Are you kidding me?" Yu Xiang murmured again, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with disbelief and a hint of bitter awe.
