Intertwined Breakthroughs and Fiery Aftermath

How could they be so insulting?!’

Lin Mo’s rage flared instantly within him.

He abruptly sat upright.

“No, you’re the one who can’t!”

They embraced in another fervent kiss.

Yet the inferno raging within his abdomen stubbornly refused to subside.

No matter how fiercely their lips met, it was futile.

‘Could it be a problem with spiritual energy?’

Lin Mo pondered, finding more and more logic in the thought.

‘Though he had no idea why this Spirit Gathering Pill would birth such a monstrous thing, it was undeniably linked to spiritual energy!’

He had been so preoccupied with suppressing his terrifying thoughts that he’d forgotten to release his spiritual energy.

‘Wait, no!’

‘I came here to break through! Isn’t now the perfect time to do so?!’

A faint, clear light, distinctly Lin Mo’s own, struggled to ignite in his eyes, which had been consumed by desire.

Though it flickered as weakly as a candle flame in a gale, it carried the unwavering resolve of one who had burned their bridges.

He began circulating the Bright Jade Profound Yin technique, preparing for his breakthrough.

However, the moment his lips parted, the momentarily placated flame in his belly erupted anew, raging out of control!

It was as if gasoline had been poured upon it, causing it to burn even more fiercely.

‘Damn it…’

The instant he let go, his rationality nearly flew away.

In this state, let alone breaking through, he couldn’t even maintain his sanity.

The main problem was that, for some reason, even with them together, this internal fire simply wouldn’t abate.

‘Fine, I’ll just break through to the next realm like this!’

A chilling coldness immediately permeated the surroundings.

Om—!

A peculiar hum, not deafening but possessing a heavy penetrative force, resonated from deep within Lin Mo’s body, echoing throughout the small space.

Immediately afterward—

Sizzle…

It was like scorching hot iron plunging abruptly into an icy spring!

A bone-chilling coldness surged out from every pore on Lin Mo’s skin without warning.

The sudden appearance of this frigid aura was stark, forming an extreme and vivid contrast to the scorching heat that had previously radiated from him, hot enough to ignite the air.

Crackling…

Wherever the cold current swept, the very air seemed to congeal.

The ground, the fragments of shattered furniture, and even Ji Xue’s exposed arm, which was only a short distance away, became coated in a thin, delicate layer of white frost at a visible pace.

It was piercingly cold, as if intending to freeze everything in existence.

“Hiss—!”

A profound, piercing chill instantly invaded her flesh.

Ji Xue shivered violently, her slender shoulders instinctively wanting to pull back.

‘Retreat now?’

That thought had barely surfaced before she ruthlessly suppressed it.

She had just mercilessly mocked him, callously declaring him ‘incapable’.

If she were to cower and retreat now because of a little cold, wouldn’t she be handing him the perfect opportunity to retort and ridicule her?

‘This guy… he must be doing this on purpose!’

Ji Xue bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, a flash of indignant anger at being underestimated crossing her eyes.

‘This scoundrel!’

‘What cunning!’

‘Is he trying to make me yield before he even uses his cultivation?’

‘Hmph! Dream on!’

‘You want me, a dignified Imperial Princess, to show weakness before you? Not a chance!’

‘If you, Lin Mo, can circulate your cultivation to ward off the cold, why can’t I?’

If the Bright Jade Profound Yin was supremely cold, then she would use the supreme fire of her Royal cultivation technique to contend with it!

‘Nine Heavens Blazing Flame Art!’

With that thought, a competitive spirit, fiercely ignited, blazed within her.

“Hmph!” Ji Xue sneered internally, and the dormant spiritual energy within her instantly surged forth.

‘You want cold? Then I shall—counter cold with fire!’

The Nine Heavens Blazing Flame Art condensed!

The supremely rigid and fierce, sun-like blazing Yang True Essence circulated powerfully within her body.

That formidable Phoenix Flame power, originating from her Phoenix Clan bloodline and looking down upon all living beings, was fiercely activated, transforming into the first blazing barrier against the pervasive cold.

‘But it should have been that way!’

‘Yet, an unexpected anomaly occurred!’

The two streams of spiritual energy, which should have cancelled each other out, surprisingly intertwined as they continued to kiss.

As if drawn by an unparalleled attraction, they both discovered their mouths seemed to be glued together.

Ice and fire merged.

Lin Mo’s clear Profound Yin spiritual energy was like a frigid, netherworld spring.

Ji Xue’s fiery spiritual energy, flowing like magma, was like a phoenix.

When the two made contact—

“Boom!!!”

It wasn’t an explosion, but a strange, muffled groan so deep it made one’s heart tremble.

The two vastly opposing, immense spiritual energies, which collided and neutralized between them, unexpectedly did not cancel each other out upon contact!

On the contrary, an extremely bizarre and powerful, heart-stopping attraction suddenly erupted from where their bodies met.

Their current embrace was like a conduit for each other.

Both their spiritual energies were now surging into the other’s body!

“Ugh?!!!”

“Hmm—?!!!”

Their eyes widened simultaneously, and they let out gasps of alarm.

Their lips and teeth were pressed tightly together, unable to separate even a fraction of an inch!

It wasn’t an entanglement of desire, but a purely energetic, irresistible physical adsorption.

It was as if the opposing Yin and Yang energies, after their initial violent clash, had instead formed a fatal resonance on a deeper level!

A greedy attraction, a mutual craving to drag the other completely into the depths of their own origin!

Ji Xue was utterly horrified to discover that the meager spark of fire, the Nine Heavens Blazing Flame Art she had painstakingly circulated in her Dantian, did not extinguish due to the Profound Yin energy surging from Lin Mo.

That Profound Yin energy was also extraordinary; she could even sense a hint of heat within it, unlike her own cultivation technique.

Now, like kindling, it was burning more fiercely than ever before!

Spiritual energy continuously gathered!

Large amounts of spiritual energy began to uncontrollably surge, impacting her yet-unopened meridians!

‘Spiritual energy, beyond my control, is now autonomously breaking through blocked meridians?’

‘Am I, am I breaking through automatically?’

‘Why?!’

Ji Xue had never encountered such a strange phenomenon.

‘Could this be… dual cultivation?!’

The answer to that question, however, lay with Lin Mo.

At this moment, for some unknown reason, the last few pages of Yang Po Po’s secret bedroom technique book, Mystical Scribbles, those blurry little figures in cross-legged, overlapping postures, subtly marked several peculiar qi circulation routes!

Lin Mo instinctively began to circulate his spiritual energy according to this route.

The spiritual energy that was previously unruly was now docile and obedient!

As if sensing something, it naturally played out in his mind, and then circulated.

Those mystical scribbles, which he hadn’t recognized or understood their meaning before, now, with each circulation, he gradually comprehended their essence!

‘Yin and Yang, water and fire, intertwined…’

Fragmented memories painstakingly pieced themselves together in his chaotic mind, like grasping a piece of driftwood in a raging storm.

There was no time for hesitation, no path for retreat!

His arms suddenly tightened, no longer a simple embrace, but as if he wanted to knead Ji Xue completely into his own body, holding her in a death grip!

His hands abruptly formed a series of seals, no longer fumbling haphazardly, but desperately focusing his mind, guiding the surging, lava-like torrent of spiritual energy that flowed into him from Ji Xue!

“Rumble—!”

A thunderclap seemed to echo in his mind!

The spiritual energy, accumulated to its limit, finally found a clear target—to break open the shackles of his hundred meridians and acupoints, to connect the bridge between heaven and earth!

“Argh—!”

An indescribable agony instantly replaced the previous heat!

It felt as if countless red-hot steel needles had simultaneously pierced every single meridian and acupoint throughout his body!

That tearing sensation, from the inside out, caused Lin Mo’s body to convulse violently, and he threw his head back, letting out a pained roar that was utterly inhuman.

A layer of fine blood beads instantly welled up on the surface of his skin, as if his entire being was about to be burst apart by the rampant spiritual energy!

But he did not stop!

Within Lin Mo’s Dantian, the torrent of spiritual energy, ignited by a hundredfold dose of the Spirit Gathering Pill’s potency, suddenly transformed into a ferocious vortex!

The vast spiritual energy of this world, as if drawn by an unseen force, guided by the Five Elements, converged wildly upon the two of them, like all rivers flowing into the sea!

The small room seemed to be devoured by an invisible, colossal mouth!

The sparse moonlight visible through the cracks in the doors and windows suddenly dimmed.

The green plants visibly withered and decayed, and even the wood grain of the table instantly lost its lustrous sheen—the spiritual energy of the entire detached courtyard, and even the surrounding area, was completely drained in an instant!

“Boom!!!”

A terrifying anomaly suddenly occurred!

The spiritual energy vacuum, far exceeding natural laws, triggered a violent backlash from the laws of heaven and earth!

The void trembled and shattered like glass, and invisible shockwaves exploded outward from the two of them as their core, sweeping across the four walls with destructive force!

Such a sudden change instantly drew attention!

“What, what’s happening? The spiritual energy… why is it all converging in one place?!”

“Something’s wrong! Hurry back! See what happened!”

The monitoring personnel rushed back at top speed!

And at this moment, the two of them had also reached a critical juncture!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each impact against an acupoint or meridian was like a war drum beating deep within his soul!

His meridians repeatedly struggled at the brink of rupture and reformation, and the excruciating pain surged against Lin Mo’s will in waves.

But with each collision, that invisible yet ponderous realm barrier began to emit groans of unbearable strain!

The two forces continuously transferred and merged within their bodies!

Who knew how long passed? Perhaps only an instant, perhaps as long as an epoch.

Deep within Ji Xue’s mind, an invisible, incredibly solid dam finally burst completely!

A cool torrent, carrying unparalleled, vast vitality, instantly poured in, washing over her scarred meridians and acupoints, surging into her Dantian Sea of Qi, which had already expanded several times over!

The intense pain receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable sense of comfort and ethereal lightness!

The heat completely faded, the madness dissipated!

The spiritual energy within her body was no longer wild, uncontrolled magma, but had transformed into a surging, refined river as dense as mercury!

Spiritual energy automatically gathered, forming tiny, visible vortices around her body.

The bridge between heaven and earth was quietly connected, Qi Condensation transformed into liquid, and spiritual sense initially congealed!

The shackles of the Qi Condensation stage were completely broken at this moment!

Ji Xue abruptly opened her eyes!

Crimson light flickered in their depths, and fierce flames burned within her eye sockets.

Flames instantly swept around her!

A brand new, powerful, and stable sense of strength filled her limbs and bones.

Foundation Establishment Stage!

Ji Xue was on the verge of breakthrough!

Ji Xue, in one fell swoop, broke through to Foundation Establishment!

Ji Xue found it somewhat unbelievable… that she had achieved something that should have taken years, even more than a decade!

Though she didn’t know what had happened afterward!

But at this moment, she knew!

It was absolutely related to Lin Mo!

She could clearly feel her spiritual energy being controlled by Lin Mo for the breakthrough!

She, she had reached Foundation Establishment!

But!

She had just intended to embrace the beautiful person in her arms, but now, her arms were empty!

Moreover, she was fully dressed!

At this moment, flames burned all around, instantly obscuring Lin Mo’s figure.

“Wan’er?! Wan’er, where are you?!” For some reason, a strange tremor of unease seized her heart.

Outside, it was utter chaos.

“What, what’s burning?!”

“Why is a disciple’s detached courtyard on fire?!”

“Help! Help! Fire!”

“No! This fire is strange! It can’t be put out at all!”

“Quick, quick, call Host Yun to put out the fire! Or an Elder or something!”

“Who knows where they are?”

The outside was in disarray.

Ji Xue rose, wanting to search for Lin Mo’s figure.

The flames did not scorch her; instead, they felt unusually warm.

But at this moment, she had no time to care about such things!

She only wanted to find Lin Mo!

“Stand back!”

A cold, sharp shout, like a clap of thunder from the nine heavens, boomed without warning.

Its voice contained immense pressure, actually forcing down the burning spiritual flames!

The next instant!

Before the words had even fully faded—

Whoosh—

Ink-black storm clouds instantly obscured the lingering moon, and a torrential downpour, raging and infused with pure, icy spiritual energy, cascaded down like the Milky Way pouring forth!

But it precisely covered Ji Xue’s detached courtyard!

This spiritual rain was extraordinary.

Upon touching the rampant, blazing inferno, it emitted a piercing “sizzle” sound, and dense water vapor steamed and billowed, instantly filling the entire area!

As the flames were extinguished, she immediately saw Lin Mo.

At this moment, he had been flung into a corner at some unknown point, his hair disheveled, blood staining the corner of his mouth, looking utterly weakened.

‘Lin Mo… what happened?’

‘Lin Mo… didn’t succeed in his Foundation Establishment breakthrough?’

At this moment, a woman descending from the sky, holding a token, walked up to Ji Xue and asked, “What happened? Why, why is everything burned?!”

Ji Xue hadn’t even had time to reply when Lin Mo, covered in ash, preemptively answered, “I… we tried… to break through to Foundation Establishment together… but… I failed…”

‘Lin Mo… failed his Foundation Establishment breakthrough?’

‘Is that why he’s in such a sorry state, spitting blood?’

Ji Xue was about to walk over, but for some reason, she was stopped by the person who had come to the rescue!

“You… broke through to Foundation Establishment?!” The person exclaimed, her face filled with shock.

Immediately, she grabbed Ji Xue and summoned a lotus platform.

“Please come with me.”

“Wait, wait! He, what about him?!” Ji Xue looked at the disheveled Lin Mo in the corner.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s only lightly injured. He’ll recover once he circulates his cultivation technique and absorbs spiritual energy. He merely failed his breakthrough, so his qi and blood are unstable, and he sustained some minor injuries; he’ll recover once he circulates his cultivation technique and absorbs spiritual energy.”

With that, she pulled Ji Xue onto the lotus platform.

That night, a legend was born in the Xuan Nv Sect.