On the night of the fourth day, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
Purple Pearl stealthily arrived outside Yu Qing's wooden house and gently knocked on the door.
"Mr. Yu Qing, are you ready?" She lowered her voice, her purple eyes shimmering with excitement and anticipation under the moonlight.
Yu Qing pushed the door open and stepped out. He had already adjusted himself to his peak state. Although the cracks on his Soul cores had not yet been repaired, after several days of meditation and spirit power recovery, he could already exert a portion of his strength, enough to deal with the potential risks of hunting a ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
"Let's go." Yu Qing nodded, his gaze sweeping over Purple Pearl. She had changed into a form-fitting, deep purple martial outfit that perfectly outlined her graceful curves. Her short purple hair was tied into a neat ponytail, making her look heroic and spirited.
The two avoided the scattered lights on the island, moving like two ghosts silently toward the rocky beach on the back of the island.
The terrain here was steep and rarely visited, making it an excellent spot to enter the sea.
"Follow me." Purple Pearl was the first to leap into the sea, her body seemingly merging with the water, her movements smooth and natural. Yu Qing followed closely behind, his spirit power surging slightly to form an invisible barrier that kept the seawater away.
Beneath the deep sea lay another World.
Moonlight could not penetrate this far down; only the occasional bioluminescent fish provided a faint glow. The water pressure increased as they dove deeper, and the silence was so profound that one could hear their own heartbeat. Various bizarre seaweeds and corals swayed in the undercurrents.
Yu Qing's powerful mental force spread out like radar, carefully searching for a suitable target. Purple Pearl followed quietly behind him, her eyes filled with trust—after these few days together, she had developed a nearly blind confidence in Yu Qing.
"Found it." About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yu Qing suddenly stopped and sent a message to Purple Pearl via sound transmission.
Following his guidance, Purple Pearl saw a giant snake resting among the corals. Its body was dark blue with bright patterns like lightning, over ten meters long, and a single horn flickering with electricity grew from its head.
"A Thunder-Patterned Sea Snake just over twenty thousand years old. It has both thunder and poison attributes, which is a great match for your Sea Viper Spirit," Yu Qing analyzed. "With your tempered body, absorbing its spirit ring shouldn't be a problem."
Excitement flashed in Purple Pearl's eyes, and she nodded heavily.
Yu Qing said no more, his figure approaching silently like a ghost. With his Star Luo Hand prepared, he instantly restrained the Thunder-Patterned Sea Snake, then brought the immobile snake before Purple Pearl.
Puchi!
Purple Pearl took the triangular military bayonet Yu Qing had given her and instantly plunged it into the Thunder-Patterned Sea Snake's massive body. The sea snake twitched violently a few times before slowly going limp, and a deep black spirit ring emerged from its corpse.
The entire process was clean and efficient, taking no more than a few breaths.
"Go on, absorb it," Yu Qing signaled to Purple Pearl.
Purple Pearl swam to the spirit ring and sat cross-legged. Her Sea Viper Spirit possessed her, and she began to guide the spirit ring's energy into her body.
The absorption process was much harder than imagined. The energy of the twenty-thousand-year spirit ring was vast and overbearing. The powers of lightning and poison crashed wildly against Purple Pearl's Meridians. Even though she had undergone spirit power Body Tempering ten times and her Physique far exceeded that of Spirit Masters of the same Rank, she still felt immense pain. Cold sweat poured from her forehead, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Yu Qing stood quietly to the side as a Protector, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. Purple Pearl's willpower was even tougher than he had expected; to be able to hold her mind steady and guide the energy despite such pain showed she was indeed a promising talent.
Time passed slowly in the silence of the deep sea.
After a full two hours, the violent energy finally calmed down and was completely absorbed by Purple Pearl. The deep black spirit ring pulsed slowly around her, shining in resonance with her other four spirit rings.
Purple Pearl opened her eyes and felt the surging power within her. Her face was filled with unbelievable ecstasy: "I... I really succeeded! A twenty-thousand-year fifth spirit ring!"
Her spirit power also rose to Rank 54 because of this.
Yu Qing swam to her side and asked with a smile, "How is it? My theory didn't disappoint you, did it?"
Purple Pearl looked up at Yu Qing, a burning fire in her purple eyes: "Your theory didn't just meet my expectations... it completely overturned my understanding!" She suddenly grabbed Yu Qing's arm and asked excitedly, "After I become your wife, will I... will I also be able to have a hundred thousand year spirit ring in the future?"
Yu Qing nodded confidently: "Of course. As long as you follow in my footsteps, let alone a hundred thousand year spirit ring, I will even find a hundred thousand year Spirit bone for you."
Purple Pearl was so excited she couldn't contain herself and suddenly hugged Yu Qing: "Hehe, then it's a deal. You can't abandon me in the future!"
Yu Qing lightly stroked her damp back and said softly, "You are so beautiful and your talent is so good, how could I abandon you?"
Feeling the soft, warm body of the young girl in his arms and her surging vitality, Yu Qing suddenly had a thought—could the Yin-Yang Power obtained from Yin-Yang Harmonization accelerate the repair of the cracks on his Soul cores?
"Do you want to raise your spirit power Rank even faster?" Yu Qing whispered in Purple Pearl's ear, his tone carrying a hint of temptation.
Purple Pearl nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Of course I do!"
A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Yu Qing's mouth: "I have a special Cultivate method that currently only I and my wives practice. It can increase spirit power extremely quickly, but..."
"But what? Tell me! As long as the price isn't too high, I can accept it!" Purple Pearl asked urgently.
"This method is called the Dual Cultivation method," Yu Qing explained, his tone as calm as if he were stating an academic theory. "It involves practicing through 'great life harmony,' using the blending of body and mind and the mutual supplementation of Yin and Yang to rapidly increase spirit power."
Purple Pearl was stunned for a moment, and then a flush spread across her pretty face at a visible speed, even her ears turning deep red: "H-Harmony?!" Her voice trembled slightly, clearly understanding the meaning behind those words.
Yu Qing nodded, his expression remaining calm: "Of course. Since you've chosen to become my wife, you're qualified to practice this Dual Cultivation method. Are you willing to try?"
Purple Pearl's face was so red it almost looked like it was bleeding. Her eyes darted around, and she stammered for a long while before finally making a great resolution. Gritting her teeth, she said, "If... if it's really effective... then I'm willing to try!"
Yu Qing was secretly delighted but kept a solemn expression. He took Purple Pearl's hand and said softly, "In that case, let us first establish a dao companion contract."
With a thought, he summoned the Sacred Contract. A soft golden light lit up in the deep sea, enveloping the two of them. Complex runes intertwined in the air before finally turning into two streaks of light that entered Yu Qing's and Purple Pearl's foreheads respectively.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully contracting a four-star Dao Companion—Purple Pearl! Rewards: dao companion treasure chest x1, yin yang points +500!]
[Dao Companion Panel Updated:]
[Dao Companion: Purple Pearl]
[Age: 18]
[Spirit: Sea Viper]
[spirit power Rank: Rank 53 Spirit King]
[spirit ring Configuration: Yellow (410 years), Yellow (600), Purple (1,653), Purple (4,469), Black (20,157)]
[Beauty: 92 (Naturally charming, devastatingly beautiful)]
[innate Soul Power: Rank 9]
[Overall Star Rating: ★★★★]
[Favorability: 78 (Developing feelings, willing to entrust her life)]
The moment the contract was completed, Purple Pearl felt an indescribable, wondrous connection between herself and Yu Qing, as if their Souls had achieved some kind of resonance.
"Let's go back. That kind of cultivation needs to be done in a quiet environment without distractions," Yu Qing said softly.
Purple Pearl nodded with a red face and followed Yu Qing quickly back to the island.
Returning to the wooden house and closing the door, the atmosphere suddenly became suggestive. The dim yellow light of the oil lamp flickered in the room, casting their long shadows onto the wall where they intertwined.
Yu Qing gently pulled Purple Pearl into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her soft lips. Purple Pearl's body stiffened slightly before relaxing, responding awkwardly. Her lips carried the slight saltiness of seawater and the unique sweetness of a young girl, which was intoxicating.
Yu Qing gently laid her on the bed and leaned over her. Their skin pressed together, and they could both feel each other's burning body temperature and racing heartbeats.
"Relax, follow my lead," Yu Qing whispered in Purple Pearl's ear, his voice soft and magnetic.
After a session of Yin-Yang Harmonization that brought extreme pleasure to both their bodies, Yu Qing began to guide Purple Pearl in the formal Yin Yang Conjunction Dual Cultivation. A wondrous power circulated within their bodies; spirit power and mental force blended together, each containing the other.
Purple Pearl felt as if she were floating in a warm ocean, her whole body incredibly comfortable, and her spirit power was growing at a visible rate.
After two consecutive sessions of deep cultivation, a mass of pure Yin-Yang Power finally condensed within Yu Qing's body. He carefully guided this power to nourish and repair the cracks on his Soul cores, and the effect was indeed significant!
Meanwhile, Purple Pearl lay limp in Yu Qing's arms, her cheeks flushed, her eyes misty, and her whole body as soft as if she had no bones. She felt that her spirit power had actually soared directly from Rank 54 to Rank 58. The four-Rank jump left her so shocked she was speechless!
Yu Qing lightly stroked her smooth back, his fingers lingering on her breasts, and asked with a smile, "How does it feel?"
Only then did Purple Pearl recover from her extreme shock. Feeling the surging spirit power in her body, her voice still carried a tremor: "This... this kind of improvement... is too... too terrifying!" She had thought this cultivation method would at most increase cultivation speed; she never expected such a terrifying explosion of spirit power!
Yu Qing explained, "The spirit power increase from Yin Yang Conjunction Dual Cultivation is indeed rapid, but it's too superficial and needs to be compressed and purified. But don't worry, I've already prepared a solution for you." Saying this, he lightly tapped Purple Pearl's smooth forehead with his fingertip, transmitting the Soul Power Compression Method into her mind.
[Ding, Purple Pearl's favorability +5, current favorability 83]
Feeling the exquisite and profound Soul Power Compression Method in her mind, Purple Pearl's eyes were filled with gratitude and shock. She took the initiative to plant a kiss on Yu Qing's lips: "Thank you, Yu Qing... husband."
Yu Qing contentedly withdrew his hand that had been playing with Purple Pearl's breasts and focused on guiding the Yin-Yang Power in his body to repair the cracks in his dual soul cores.
Purple Pearl also nestled obediently in his arms and began to operate the Soul Power Compression Method to refine the surging spirit power.
The night passed in silence, save for the steady sound of their breathing and the faint hum of spirit power circulation.
The next morning, sunlight spilled into the room through the window lattice.
Yu Qing was the first to open his eyes. Feeling the cracks on his Soul cores had significantly healed, he nodded in satisfaction. At this rate, with at most twenty more sessions of Yin Yang Conjunction, his dual soul cores would be restored to their original state!
Purple Pearl also finished compressing and refining her spirit power. The first thing she did was check her own spirit power—after a night of compression and refinement, the originally superficial spirit power had become much more solid. Although it had dropped by one Rank, this speed of improvement was something she wouldn't have dared to imagine in the past.
She looked at Yu Qing beside her and met his smiling gaze. Only then did she realize she was still completely naked. Her face instantly flushed red, and she scrambled to grab her clothes to cover her Charms.
Yu Qing smiled slightly and said naturally, "Alright, we should leave this island today."
Purple Pearl nodded with a red face and quickly put on her clothes. After the two of them did some simple packing, they walked toward the small harbor on the island.
The harbor was still very quiet at this time, with only a few fishing boats bobbing gently in the waves. The salty sea breeze blew against their faces, carrying the voices of fishermen repairing their nets.
"Merchant ships usually pass by here around noon to replenish fresh water and food," Purple Pearl explained, her gaze unconsciously lingering on Yu Qing's profile, her eyes filled with attachment and anticipation.
Yu Qing nodded, looking out at the boundless sea, already planning the next steps of his journey. With Purple Pearl as a new Dao Companion, his recovery speed would be greatly accelerated.
The sea breeze blew, making their clothes flutter loudly.
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