Dual Cultivation

"If you need anything, even if that something is as small as a chat over some tea, I will gladly be there. However, you should leave those thoughts till after you fully recover," said Su Yang after a moment of silence.

"Un."

Meng Jia nodded, and a few minutes later, she quietly made her way back home, where Chen Yu was anxiously waiting for her.

Once she was fully out of the picture, Su Yang went back into his room.

"I really despise this place," Qiuyue said to him the moment he entered the room.

With a smile, Su Yang spoke: "You will quickly get used to it."

"But I don’t want to get used to this place! Why are we even here? Since Father has me now, we can go anywhere we want in this world, so why don’t we just leave this place that stinks of impurity?"

Su Yang shook his head and said calmly: "My ultimate goal is to return to the Four Divine Heavens, but neither of us have any knowledge as to how to get there, and you have already traveled the entire world. Until we find a way to return to the Four Divine Heavens, it does not matter if I am here or at another place, as it is all the same at the end of the day."

"Additionally, there are still a few things I’d like to do here before leaving. If I don’t do these things and just leave, it will affect my Dao Heart for future breakthroughs."

"This Profound Blossom Sect is also a great place for me to increase my cultivation base quickly without harming my foundations, not to mention this place’s environment really suits a scoundrel like me..." he added, causing Qiuyue to sigh with a dejected expression.

"What would Mother do if she was in this situation?" she wondered.

"Qiuyue, do you happen to have any Appearance Reforming Pills?" Su Yang suddenly asked her.

"Appearance Reforming Pills? I do have some, but why do you need them?" she asked in a curious tone.

Appearance Reforming Pills are just as it sounds— it has the ability to change an individual’s appearance temporary, altering the face entirely, and becoming a new individual with a new identity. These pills are commonly used in the Cultivation World where quarrels and skirmishes occur every day, and Cultivators would more often than not disguise themselves using the Appearance Reforming Pills in order to make it more difficult for others to find them.

As for Qiuyue, who possesses otherworldly beauty and a profound presence, she would normally travel while under disguise to avoid unnecessary attention from the masses.

However, the Appearance Reforming Pills are not without flaws, as it could easily be bypassed by those with higher cultivation bases or those with sharp senses.

"So I can cause trouble without being recognized," he said with a grin.

Qiuyue stared at him with a weird look on her face.

And after a moment of awkward silence, she retrieved a small black pill from her storage ring and handed it to Su Yang.

The moment he received the Appearance Reforming Pill, Su Yang threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.

An instant later, his handsome face began twisting with his young body also growing taller, looking as though there was a pair of invisible hands playing with his face.

After another moment, Su Yang’s no longer looked like a handsome young man but a handsome middle-aged man instead!

This middle-aged man had fierce eyes, sword-like eyebrows, a straight nose, and gave off the feeling of an intimidating ruler.

If Su Yang were to walk around in this world with his new face, then it was guaranteed that nobody would recognize him. But if he went into the streets of the Four Divine Heavens with such a face, then he was basically asking for trouble.

When Qiuyue saw his new appearance, her eyes widened from shock.

"The Heavenly Emperor?!" she exclaimed loudly, her voice even trembling from the bewilderment.

"Ugly-looking, right? I know..." Su Yang chuckled, but since he was using the Heavenly Emperor’s face, Qiuyue found it extremely unpleasant, even intimidating.

"I am speechless," she shook her head. "Are you not afraid of offending the Heavens for using His Majesty, the Heavenly Emperor’s face? Not to mention that you’ll also be causing trouble with such a face... You will get struck by lightning at this rate..."

Qiuyue expressed her worries, as it was considered a heavenly offense to use the Heavenly Emperor’s face in any way, shape, or form, much less to cause trouble.

"What is that old man going to do, come here and arrest me again?" Su Yang laughed, his laughter carrying slight malice.

Clearly, Su Yang held a grudge towards the Heavenly Emperor from being thrown into the Eternal Retribution Cliff by him, and he wanted to get revenge no matter how small the details may be.

Qiuyue could only sigh at his behavior, thinking that even someone like him has his childish moments.

"What about your clothes?" she then asked. "You look ridiculous in those robes that were clearly meant for your previous and smaller figure..."

"There’s no need to change it," he quickly replied. "The worse I look while using this face the better it makes me feel!"

"You really are helpless..." Qiuyue shook her head.

"Right, let me take a look inside your storage ring again," he suddenly said.

Qiuyue didn’t even bother asking why before giving him her storage ring.

After looking through the storage ring for a few moments, Su Yang nodded with a satisfied expression.

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Many hours have passed since Su Yang consumed the Appearance Reforming Pill, yet he remained inside his room the entire time.

It was not until the stars began twinkling did Su Yang finally decide it was time to leave his room.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Qiuyue asked him before he left the house.

"It’s only someone at the Earth Spirit Realm— nothing I cannot deal with by myself," he said with a smile before disappearing into the night.

"Perhaps that’s the reason he was thrown into the Eternal Retribution Cliff in the first place? Because he nonchalantly uses His Majesty, the Heavenly Emperor’s face all the time?" she silently wondered as her Spiritual Sense activated to follow Su Yang.

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When Su Yang sensed a pair of invisible eyes watching him from afar, he smiled inwardly.

"That girl worries too much. But since I am probably the only person left in this universe that she currently trust, I won’t say anything about it."

Su Yang traversed the dark Profound Blossom Sect with his Nine Astral Steps, appearing and disappearing in the shadows like a ghost.

His destination was clear— it was the Yin Yang Pavilion, where the current Sect Masters resided.

"I should’ve asked someone for their location..." Su Yang facepalmed after realizing that he had no idea where they were located.

Suddenly, his eyes began glowing gold, looking as though two golden suns came to life inside his eyes.

"That spot has the presence of two Earth Spirit Realm experts, so they are probably there..."

Within seconds, Su Yang was able to locate the Yin Yang Pavilion with his All-Seeing Celestial Eyes, a profound technique that could allow the user to look at stars from millions of kilometers away with their naked eyes when completely mastered.

Once he’d guessed their location, his figure flickered and disappeared like a ghost, appearing into the distance many houses away in the next instant.

A few minutes later, Su Yang stood atop a tall and luxurious four-story-tall pavilion that emitted high-quality Profound Qi that could not be found anywhere else within the Sect.

"As expected of the home to the Sect Masters. The quality of Profound Qi found here is far superior to any other hot spots found in this Profound Blossoms Sect."

If he cultivated here with Lan Liqing, then he’s almost certain that he’ll reach the Earth Spirit Realm within half a year’s time, perhaps even higher.

"It’s decided. I will take this Yin Yang Pavilion for myself when I get the chance..."

After that silent promise to himself, Su Yang began snooping around the place to look for a certain individual.

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Inside the Yin Yang Pavilion, two figures were together inside a room with dimly illuminated light.

These two figures were obviously the Matriarch and the Patriarch, and they had just finished their daily cultivation.

"What’s wrong, Liu Lanzhi? You seemed disheartened during our cultivation," said the Patriarch in a puzzled tone.

"Disheartened?" Liu Lanzhi looked at him with a nonchalant face, sighing inwardly. "I think the term ’bored’ would be better suited for my mood right now," she said.

"B-Bored?" Although the Patriarch already knew that, he continued to play dumb to avoid embarrassing himself.

Liu Lanzhi left the bed and got dressed before walking to the window to stare at the night sky with a dazed expression.

After a moment of silence, she turned around to look at the Patriarch and said in a calm, yet cold voice: "Do not be mistaken, Li Qiang, your techniques are great, but I am no longer satisfied with your techniques."

"What?!" Li Qiang’s eyes popped out of his sockets at her words.

How could that be possible? She was still enjoying his techniques just yesterday! How could her body possibly change so much in a single day— to the point where she could no longer feel satisfaction from him?

"You are not satisfied with my performances tonight? I do not believe it! Lose your clothes and we will do it again!" Li Qiang’s pride and ego took a huge hit from her words, but he wasn’t convinced.

Liu Lanzhi slowly shook her head and said: "Forget it, I am already saving you face by being lenient with my words."

"How am I suppose forget this?!" Li Qiang suddenly roared in anger, his fist deeply embedded into the bed.

Not only was his pride as a man greatly damaged by her words, but his position as the Patriarch would also become at risk if he really could no longer satisfy the Matriarch.

While the majority believed that the Patriarch would have the final say within the Profound Blossom Sect, the truth was actually the total opposite, as it has always been the Matriarch who’s in full control of the Profound Blossom Sect since the founding of the Sect.

And if the Patriarch, who was chosen by the Matriarch, could no longer satisfy her, then it was obvious that a new Patriarch— one who could satisfy the Matriarch in her cultivation— would be selected for the Sect.

"I do not believe that I am unable to satisfy your body anymore! Hurry and get back on the bed, Liu Lanzhi!" he continued to speak loudly, his voice filled with anger and embarrassment.

Liu Lanzhi suddenly frowned, and her gaze sharpened at Li Qiang.

"Who do you think you are talking to with that tone, Li Qiang?!" she suddenly snapped back, startling him.

"Do I have to remind you who’s the true Sect Master of the Sect?!"

"I-I-I—"

"Get lost! And until you improve your trash techniques, I do not want you in my room!" she said with her finger pointed to the door, her narrowed eyes glaring daggers at him.

Afraid of her short temper, Li Qiang hastily scrambled out of the bed and ran out of the room naked, even leaving his clothes in her room.

Once he left, Liu Lanzhi coldly snorted and returned sat on her bed to cultivate.

But alas, her mind could not be calmed even after many minutes and her heart was wavering, so she quickly gave up trying to cultivate and went straight to sleep.

However, even then, she was having difficulties sleeping.

"Damn it! This is all his fault! Of course, my body is not satisfied! After experiencing ’that’ from him, there is no way I will be able to feel stimulation by normal means anymore, and today’s cultivation with Li Qiang proved that perfectly!" Liu Lanzhi rolled around in her warm bed in frustration.

After her experience with Li Qiang tonight, she finally realized just how far and distant Li Qiang’s techniques were when compared to Su Yang. It was a feeling akin to eating dog food right after savoring luxurious food meant for divine beings.

And as the night passed, Liu Lanzhi began feeling regret that she didn’t extend the assessment and had only managed to cultivate with Su Yang for a mere few minutes.

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Inside his own room that was only one floor below Liu Lanzhi’s room, Li Qiang vented his anger by destroying what little furniture he had inside the room the moment he returned.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What do you mean by ’not satisfied’ with my performance?! I was even feeling more energized tonight than normal, yet the results were worse than the last time?! I don’t fucking believe it!" Li Qiang exclaimed in a furious manner, feeling as though he’d been humiliated.

After venting for a few moments, Li Qiang’s suddenly looked enlightened.

"What if she only said that as a mean to find a new Patriarch because she is bored of me?" he thought to himself.

"That’s right! My technique couldn’t possibly be trash! She’s afraid because I am quickly overtaking her with my superior talent!"

Li Qiang quickly convinced himself that Liu Lanzhi was trying to remove him as the Patriarch to find another one, and being the egotistic person that he is, there was no way that he’d sit still until that would eventually happen.

"I am only one level beneath her in Cultivation! If I cultivate quickly enough and surpass her before she replaces me, then I will not only retain my position as the Patriarch, but I will also obtain full control of the Sect!"

With that in mind, Li Qiang began thinking of ways to quickly raise his cultivation base.

And within seconds, a thought came to his head.

"That’s it! Although she’s only at the True Spirit Realm, that Elder Lan still has her Yin Essence! If I take her Yin Essence, then my cultivation base will surely greatly advance!" he mumbled out loud from excitement.

Li Qiang began making his way to the door, but just as he took his first step towards the door, the window violently opened, and a tall figure jumped into the room through the window.