Sanlu Town appeared on the horizon, the journey had long ceased to feel like mere travel. Days passed beneath open skies, nights wrapped in quiet seclusion, and when darkness fell, Yin and Yang seemed to draw together instinctively.
There was no hesitation anymore, only a deep familiarity, unwavering trust, and an unspoken understanding between us that needed no words.
Cultivation flowed like fire between us. Each time we practiced together, qi surged, intertwining, hot and relentless, skin touching with skin, slick with sweat as our chests pressed against one another.
Barriers crumbled one after another, the hours of dual cultivation I spend with both of them, made my body surged with energy, and I broke through to 4th Stage Body Tempering, an advancement I could have eventually reached alone, but the process had been far faster with their presence.
Xiaoting and Yaolin advanced alongside me, their own breakthroughs coming just as fast. Their qi became denser, purer, and far more stable, the poison's remnants completely gone. The cave, or wherever we practiced, was thick with heat, sweat, and the intoxicating rhythm of our shared circulation.
Every touch, every brush of skin against skin, sent waves of energy rolling through us, syncing our breaths and qi in a pulse that was both dangerous and delicious.
Beyond mere cultivation, beyond raw power, my Thick Dao Tool had left its mark on them, with every burst of my Milky Dao Seeds inside them, weaving loyalty and desire into the very rhythm of their hearts and energy, binding us together in ways neither words nor thought could undo.
One evening, resting beneath a canopy of stars, Xiaoting leaned against me without thinking, her voice soft but sincere. "Cultivating with you…" she hesitated, then smiled shyly, "It's different. Much stronger than anything I've experienced before."
Yaolin nodded in agreement, her usually calm expression warm as she met my gaze. "Your Yang energy is exceptionally pure. When we cultivate together, it feels… natural. As if our qi is meant to follow you."
Their words made me pause, leaving a quiet weight in the night air. It wasn't mere flattery, my Perception Eyes confirmed it: their qi resonated with mine more deeply with each session, circulation growing smoother, breakthroughs coming faster.
This wasn't just the result of my Celestial Emperor's Harem Cultivation; it was also the subtle influence of my Thick Dao Tool, that I had been inserting into them daily during our journey to Sanlu Town, quietly strengthening their constitution, accelerating their progress, and weaving an instinctive connection and loyalty that made our cultivation together almost effortless.
The next day, as Sanlu Town drew closer, the topic they had been holding back finally came up.
"We're disciples of Qingyuan Sect," Xiaoting said, walking close at my side.
"It's not large, but it's stable. Peaceful." Yaolin added quietly, "With your talent, the elders would accept you immediately."
Xiaoting turned to face me fully, her cheer now tinged with earnestness.
"Come with us. Stay with us. Cultivating together would be much easier inside the sect."
"And safer," Yaolin added. "We don't want to part ways."
Their sincerity weighed heavier than any offer of resources, and I slowed my steps to meet their gazes. For a moment, the idea was tempting, a sect, companions, a place to belong, but my path was still uncertain, my secrets too dangerous to reveal so soon.
"I'm grateful," I said honestly, "more than you know. But I don't want to join a sect."
Xiaoting looked disappointed for a moment before masking it.
"Are you sure?" she asked, while Yaolin studied me quietly and then sighed. "You really plan to walk your own path."
"Yes." I replied.
After a brief pause, Xiaoting brightened and slipped closer to my side.
"Then at least let us help you settle in Sanlu Town," she said, showing me a modest inn where I could stay, while Yaolin added, "Yes, and we can show you the way to our sect if you ever need help. There are also simple ways to earn spirit stones here, escort work, gathering herbs, odd jobs for cultivators."
I nodded. "That would help."
Ahead of us, Sanlu Town rested beneath the afternoon sun, humble walls, narrow streets, and the promise of opportunity waiting quietly within.
Xiaoting shifted closer, her fingers lightly gripping my sleeve as if afraid I might vanish the moment she let go.
"You really won't forget us, right?" she asked softly.
I shook my head. "I won't."
Yaolin stepped forward next, hesitating for just a heartbeat before lifting her steady, sincere gaze to mine. "Then this is a promise," she said quietly.
Before I could respond, Xiaoting leaned in, her lips pressing against mine in a deep kiss, lips to lips affectionately. It was soft but full of warmth, lingering with a certainty that made my breath hitch. There was no rush, only the quiet intimacy of two hearts sharing a moment, and when she finally pulled back, her cheeks were faintly flushed, her smile bright and sincere.
Yaolin followed more slowly, her lips pressing against mine in a soft, restrained kiss, deliberate, full of quiet resolve rather than impulse. Her lips felt slightly sweet and firm, a subtle taste that lingered even as she pulled back. When she stepped away, her usual composure returned, but her eyes glimmered warmer than before, carrying a gentle intensity that spoke of trust and unspoken promises.
"Now you really can't forget us," Xiaoting said, trying to laugh it off. I smiled, my voice low but firm.
"I won't. I promise. When I'm ready… I'll find both of you."
That seemed to satisfy them. With one last look back, they turned and walked into Sanlu Town side by side, and I stood for a moment longer, the memory of that brief warmth lingering, before finally turning toward my own path.
Sanlu Town was only the beginning, and the promise we had shared at its gates was one I fully intended to keep. With that thought steadying my heart, I turned and followed the main road into town, where narrow streets bustled with life, lined with low buildings and simple shops, mortals and cultivators moving side by side.
As I walked, my vision subtly shifted. At first, I thought it was fatigue, but then I realized my Perception Eyes had sharpened, details I would have overlooked before now stood out clearly: faint traces of qi clinging to objects, the difference between mortal and cultivator, even subtle fluctuations in aura.
The change wasn't dramatic, but it was real, likely the result of continuous cultivation and the breakthroughs I had gained along the road.
At present, my cultivation had stabilized at the 4th Stage Body Tempering, not exactly weak, but far from truly strong, though naturally, the higher it grew, the better my chances of survival. In this world, strength was survival, and if I wanted to live, I had no choice but to keep growing stronger.
Following Xiaoting's directions, I soon found the inn, a modest building, its wooden sign swaying gently in the breeze. Inside, the innkeeper sized me up before speaking.
"One room?" he asked.
I placed a small pouch on the counter, thirty low-grade spirit stones, the only currency I had. He considered it with a sharp glance. "One stone will get you a room and one meal for a day. How long will you stay?"
"One week," I said, pushing seven stones forward. "One meal a day is fine."
The innkeeper nodded in approval and handed me a wooden room token. "Smart. Stones disappear fast in Sanlu Town."
Before leaving the counter, I asked about earning more stones.
"Plenty," he replied. "Escort work, herb gathering, odd jobs for cultivators. Nothing glamorous."
I also inquired about a public library, earning a brief look of surprise. "There is. Small place. Mostly records and basic knowledge. Not many people bother."
Perfect.
After stashing my few belongings in the simple room upstairs, I didn't linger. Comfort could wait; knowledge couldn't. If I wanted to survive and rise in this world, I needed to understand it first. Every scrap of information, every record, was a step toward mastering a world that could easily swallow the unprepared.
With my next step clear, I left the inn and headed toward Sanlu Town's public library, ready to learn everything I could about cultivation, currency, and the paths available to someone starting from nothing.
The streets were livelier than before. Mortals filled most of the road, hawkers shouting, carts creaking under sacks of grain, the smell of cooked food drifting from roadside stalls. Yet woven among them were cultivators, subtle but unmistakable.
Even without fully activating my Perception Eyes, I could sense it: a thin layer of qi clinging to their bodies, some steady, some erratic. A young man carrying firewood moved with unnatural balance. A woman browsing herbs had a faint glow in her breath. None were powerful, but they were different.
This was a town balanced between two worlds.
When I focused slightly, my Perception Eyes revealed more. I saw weak qi currents pooling near certain shops, likely drawn by spirit-infused goods. A few cultivators concealed their strength poorly, their auras flaring when emotions shifted. Compared to them, my own qi felt shallow, but clearer than before.
The public library stood near the inner streets, its wooden sign faded by time and weather. It lacked the grandeur of sect halls or academies, but there was a quiet order to it. Inside, the air smelled of old paper and dried ink. The room was cool, shadows gathering between tall shelves packed tightly with manuals, records, and scrolls.
Behind a simple wooden desk sat the librarian, an elderly man with a straight back and eyes so sharp they seemed to peel away pretense at a glance.
I cupped my fists lightly. "I'm looking for low-grade manuals," I said. "Alchemy texts, if you have them. Basic cultivation manuals as well and a map of Sanlu Town and the surrounding area."
He regarded me in silence for a moment, his gaze lingering as if weighing my worth against the knowledge I sought.
Then he gave a faint snort. "Low-grade manuals aren't anything rare," he said. Rising slowly, he lifted a thin finger and pointed toward the deeper rows of shelves. "Alchemy is on the third aisle to the left bottom shelves. Cultivation manuals are beside them, though don't expect anything profound. As for maps, check the corner rack near the window."
He sat back down, eyes already drifting away. "Knowledge is still a debt. Take only what you can afford to remember."
I nodded and turned away, my footsteps quiet against the worn wooden floor as I made my way toward the shelves. The scent of old paper and dried ink thickened the air, when my vision suddenly shifted.
The world dulled, and a faint glow appeared on the third aisle. Guided by my Perception Eyes, I stopped before an unremarkable, dust-covered book. To anyone else it was ordinary, but to me, it pulsed softly.
Standard Alchemy Guide, the moment I picked it up, the glow faded into nothingness. When I opened the manual, a calm yet overwhelming surge of knowledge poured into my mind, pill formulas, furnace control, herb compatibilities, and refinement sequences all arranging themselves as if I had practiced alchemy for years.
The insights flowed without the slightest resistance, layer after layer unfolding within my mind. My understanding surged forward, allowing me to effortlessly identify medicinal herbs, distinguish their properties, and grasp their subtle compatibilities. Before I even realized it, my comprehension had already leaped forward, rising to a whole new level. At this level, refining most basic pills required by cultivators was no longer a challenge, it felt as natural as breathing.
However, the manual made one truth abundantly clear: while the formulas themselves were complete, the final grade of each pill would ultimately depend on the alchemist who refined it.
Control of the furnace, precision in timing, purity of qi, and even one's mental state during refinement would determine whether the result was a crude pill, a standard grade, or a rare high-quality product.
When it ended, I stood still, heart steady but heavy with realization. This was no common alchemy manual, but a hidden legacy.
I closed the book and tucked it away, knowing my path had quietly changed in that moment.
I steadied myself and glanced around once more. The shelves returned to their dull stillness, until another faint glow caught my eye. It was weaker than before, flickering from between two worn martial manuals. I reached out and pulled the book free.
Flowing Wind Fist, its a Fist and Palm Technique.
The moment I opened the manual, my Perception Eyes activated once more. The diagrams seemed to come alive, their movements flowing seamlessly as the written explanations aligned within my mind.
I saw the Breeze-Starting Stance take shape, felt the rhythm of the Wandering Gust Strike, and understood the subtle redirection of the Returning Wind Guard.
Strength no longer felt forced, it flowed naturally from the waist to the fists, guided by precise breathing and controlled qi. In an instant, all seven movements of the Flowing Wind Fist unfolded before me, clear and complete, as if I had already practiced them countless times.
When I closed the manual, I knew the truth of my limits. Though I had comprehended all seven moves, my current cultivation was only sufficient to reliably execute three of them for now, but that was enough.
A quiet confidence settled in my chest. With alchemy to sustain my progress and martial techniques to protect myself, my foundation was no longer as fragile as I had once believed.
I searched the shelves one last time and found a simple, rolled-up map tucked into a wooden rack. Unfolding it, I saw that it only detailed the area around Sanlu Town and a rough outline of the continent itself.
According to the markings, I was on the Central Continent, with Sanlu Town sitting in the southeastern reaches of Jinling Province, a border region touching both the South Continent and the East Continent.
The map also made the balance of power clear. Most of the Central Continent lay under the rule of the Kingdom of Jin, its authority extending across provinces and cities alike.
Beneath that royal shadow stood the Great Noble Families, names that carried weight wherever cultivation was discussed, most notably the Zhuge Family and the Sima Family. Below them were the Lesser Noble Families, such as the Yang, Yuan, and Wang Families, influential within their regions but still bound by the greater powers above.
Scattered across the continent were sects of every scale, great sects that could rival kingdoms, medium sects that dominated entire regions, and countless small sects clinging to survival.
As I rolled the map back up, a clear understanding formed in my mind. Sanlu Town might be small and remote, but it sat at the edge of a vast and turbulent world, and sooner or later, I would step beyond its borders.