He wanted to help maintain the stability of the environment without overwhelming her. “Excellent. Keep your Qi flow steady and maintain the spiral. Picture it like a slow whirlpool, pulling in wisps of Qi and binding them together.”
Wan Ling nodded her head and took in a deep breath. The fused vortex of her own Qi and Primordial Yang within her dantian swirled steadily, each cycle pulling in stray wisps of Qi from her meridians.
Though her core felt full, she could sense there was a way to push it further—a threshold she could cross to evolve her cultivation entirely.
She opened her eyes, glancing at Shen Yuan. His gaze was calm yet encouraging, and she felt herself calming down looking at his face. “Brother Yuan,” she said quietly, “I can feel the energy expanding, but… it seems like I’m on the edge of breakthrough.”
Shen Yuan nodded his head. “That’s exactly what we’re aiming for.” He placed a gentle hand over her dantian, not touching but hovering close enough that his own Qi could lend support.
“You’re on the cusp of forming a second core, the mark of stepping into the Extreme Origin Core Realm. It’s not something most cultivators achieve this early, but your bloodline and the Primordial Yang you’ve integrated helped you big time.”
Wan Ling’s heart pounded as he mentioned the Primordial Yang again. She knew what he was saying all this for her breakthrough, but her mind couldn’t help but wander back to their activities.
But she shortly came back to herself, “Okay, what should I do with this Primordial Yang?”
Shen Yuan nodded and began instructing, “Maintain that whirlpool for now. Let it spin while you gather more Qi from your meridians. Then use your main cultivation technique to take out a small portion—call it a seed—on the opposite side of your existing core. With that, you will be able to form the second core.”
Her eyes fluttered shut again, and she concentrated on her internal sea of Qi. She imagined the swirling sphere at her dantian’s center as the first core, bright and stable.
Then she coaxed a thread of energy away, spinning it delicately into a mini core of Qi just beside the first core.
The process was tricky. At first, the two swirling energies threatened to merge back together, as though magnetized by their mutual attraction.
Wan Ling clenched her teeth, a bead of sweat tracing down her temple. ‘Steady… steady…’ she reminded herself, carefully applying the principles of her Radiant cultivate technique to form the second core.
“You’re doing fine,” Shen Yuan said, sensing her internal struggle. Through his palm, he send a gentle pulse of his own Qi to flow in—not overwhelming, but enough to reinforce the boundary between the forming seed and her existing core.
“Balance is everything. Don’t think too much and let your bloodline guide you. It will help you form the core more easily.”
Her breath grew rough as the swirling Qi elongated into a second orb. Slowly, almost painfully, it crystallized into a bright, pulsing sphere that hovered near the original. For a tense moment, her entire dantian trembled as the two orbs vied for stability.
“Now,” Shen Yuan whispered, “focus on them both together. Make the first one your main core. The second one will slowly reach the level of your first core. After that they will resonate in harmony, signaling your breakthrough.”
Wan Ling inhaled deeply, mustering every ounce of concentration she possessed.
She pictured the first core radiating a gentle, welcoming presence, while the second core—newborn and brimming with potential—answered in kind. Gradually, the turbulence subsided, replaced by a sense of peace.
A sudden burst of Qi coursed through her meridians, and she felt her cultivation base surge. Her spiritual perception sharpened; her meridians felt broader, more robust.
There was a muffled thump in her chest, as though her heart and dantian had synchronized for one crucial instant.
Then it came: a wave of calm that signaled the formation of her second core. Two distinct orbs of power glowed in her spiritual sea, each reinforcing the other.
Her body relaxed in a rush, as though a monumental tension had just released its grip.
Slowly, Wan Ling opened her eyes. She let out a shaky breath, tired from the exertion, “I did it,” she softly said, “I broke through.”
Shen Yuan pulled back his hand, a proud smile lighting his face. “Haha, I knew you could easily do it. You were worrying for nothing.”
Wan Ling took a moment to sense the new dual rhythm of her cultivation, then she sweetly smiled at Shen Yuan and gave him a peck on his cheeks, “Thanks, you really helped me otherwise I would need a lot more time to stabilize my foundation before breaking through.”
He chuckled seeing her actions, “No need to be modest, you could have broken through soon even without my help purely by relying on your bloodline.”
“And who gave me this bloodline?” She said back with a happy smile.
Shen Yuan shook his head with a smile.
“But you look quite experienced in guiding others, do you have disciples?” Wan Ling curiously asked.
He slightly shook his head, “No, I don’t have any disciples.” He said and paused, “But I did help Qingyu with her breakthrough.”
“Oh? I see I see.” Her lips formed a smile as she looked at Shen Yuan.
“Uh, Ling’er?” He asked looking at her smile.
“Brother Yuan.” Wan Ling smilingly said.
“Yes?” He asked with a confused expression.
She stood up before extending her hand and reaching out to Shen Yuan, “I think it’s enough practice for now, we should relax.”
“Huh? What do you mean? It’s not even been a few hours since we star-” Before he could finish his words, Wan Ling moved forward and captured his lips in a searing kiss.
Shen Yuan laughed inside his mind before embracing her tightly and walking towards the bed.
…
“Good, your sword skills have improved a lot in these past months.” Shen Yuan said, sheathing his sword while extending his hand towards Wan Ling who was tiredly sitting on the ground.
“Haa…haa… You’re really too strong, I’m already out of breath while you have barely sweat.” She said, grabbing his hand and getting up.
Shen Yuan chuckled, “My cultivation base is far higher than your’s after all.”
“What higher? You are only four minor realms ahead of me. And I already reached fourth level of Extreme Origin Core Realm. There shouldn’t be this big of a gap between seven realms.” She huffed and said.
“Anyways, enough playing around, you know my strength is way above my cultivation base.” He chuckled and looked around the training room.
“Haha, you and your ‘above realm’ excuse, just say I’m weak.” Wan Ling teased, rolling her shoulders to loosen the tension in her arms.
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She glanced at her sword, still humming faintly from their sparring session, and exhaled a light breath. “Let’s go again—I still need to learn a lot from you.”
Shen Yuan smirked. “Your perseverance sure is impressive. Alright, but this time, let’s focus on footwork and reaction speed. You have learn some good techniques already—just needs polishing.”
They moved to opposite ends of the training hall, gripping their swords. The chamber stirred with an undercurrent of Qi as the formations purified the Qi and poured it inside to help with their training.