Luo Biya gave them a slight nod.
"Fang, you really are a quick learner. You've already succeeded in the first part of the Hosting phase. Now cos the real trial—Partial Entanglent. This step is not without risk, but Yue'r is a good partner, so you needn't worry."
"What kind of risk?" Xiao Fang asked.
"If your soul rejects hers during the process, it may cause a severe backlash. But you've already shown a surprising degree of compatibility…" She glanced at Luo Yue. "Let's see how far you two can go."
Xiao Fang rolled his shoulders, relaxed. "I'm not worried, are you?"
Luo Yue shot him a glare, though the corner of her mouth twitched. "Don't take it lightly. If you ss this up, it won't just be your soul that gets burned."
"I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a half-smirk, sliding back into position across from her.
They sat once more, knees nearly touching, the space between them shimring faintly as they listened to Luo Biya's instructions. Eventually, their soul Qi began to align again. This ti, the pull was stronger—more insistent.
Luo Biya stood behind them like a sentinel, her presence the only anchor in the silence that followed.
"Now," she said, "instead of simply opening yourselves to each other, push deeper. Reach into the essence, the core. Let your soul threads entwine. Don't force the connection—feel it, guide it."
Xiao Fang inhaled slowly. Her words made sense to him, as if she was telling him sothing he already knew, but had temporarily forgotten.
Luo Yue mirrored him.
Their breaths synchronized.
And then—it began.
Threads of translucent spirit energy erged from their cores like strands of light. They twisted, curled, and reached across the narrow space. When they t, they didn't repel. They spun, spiraled, braided into one another with startling grace.
Luo Biya squinted. If she didn't know any better, she would've guessed that Xiao Fang had done this before. But he hadn't, so she couldn't explain what she was seeing.
Luo Yue's body trembled, but she didn't break focus.
She felt her soul slipping—not losing control, but being gently wrapped by another's. Xiao Fang's presence seeped into her being—not violently, not possessively, but completely. He wasn't hiding anything.
His soul was… welcoming, almost as if she was supposed to be with him.
Scars etched into its fabric told her more than words ever could.
She felt the weight of battle, the burden of decisions, the sheer willpower it took to survive his life. His soul wasn't soft or gentle—but it didn't flinch away from hers either. It was fearless.
And it welcod her.
For a brief, electric mont, they weren't two people anymore.
They were one.
But just as quickly, the feeling cracked.
Luo Yue's eyes snapped open, gasping for breath. A sharp resistance flared between them. Her spiritual energy buckled.
{"Don't pull back,"} Xiao Fang's voice echoed in her mind.
She didn't understand how she was able to hear him, but she didn't question it. Trusting his words, she held firm.
She grit her teeth and steadied herself. 'Don't push so deep. You're… overwhelming,' she thought knowing Xiao Fang couldn't hear her, but he unexpectedly reacted to it. It was as if he was paying attention to her, that feeling made her feel safe.
{"Trust . I've got you."} He said, again using a spirit transmission.
The last strand snapped into place.
And then, silence.
Not a void. Not absence.
A perfect stillness.
The strands of Soul Qi acted as conduits, connecting their souls together. If they looked closely now, they would see that part of his soul was in her, and a bit of hers was in his.
Luo Biya watched, her breath held tight in her chest. Then, she let it out slowly.
"...Partial Entanglent complete," she whispered, more to herself than to them.
A glow enveloped both of them. Soul essence danced like fireflies across their skin. Neither moved. Neither spoke.
Inside the silence of their rged souls, they stood before each other—not as cultivators, not as teacher and student, but as bare, unguarded spirits.
Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow at her. "Still think I'll hold you back?"
Luo Yue didn't respond imdiately.
Then, with a soft sigh in the link, she said,
"You're infuriating."
He smirked.
But in her chest, where their connection lingered, he could feel her emotions shift.
Respect. Curiosity. And maybe, just maybe—trust.
.
.
.
After their first day of training together, Xiao Fang was preparing to leave, intending to quietly ask around about the Dual Cultivation clan to plan his next move. But before he could take a step, Luo Yue called out to him.
"Hey... can I talk to you for a mont?"
He paused, turning to face her calmly. "Of course. What do you want to talk about?"
"I'm just... curious about sothing," Luo Yue said, hesitating as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Is it true what they told ? That you cultivated our Soul Devouring thod all the way to the Core Realm—and mastered every technique—in just a few days? That shouldn't be possible… right?"
Xiao Fang gave her a faint, unreadable smile. "It's true."
She frowned, clearly unsettled. "But how? There has to be a trick to it."
"Learning the techniques… that's just one of the perks of being a Dual Cultivator," he said. "As for the cultivation thod itself…"
He trailed off, studying her in silence. His gaze lingered long enough to make her shift her footing under its weight. Then, he finally spoke—softly, but with just a hint of amusent.
"You're right."
"I am?"
"There is a trick to it. And truthfully, I only figured it out by chance," he admitted.
Luo Yue leaned in slightly. "Then what is it? What's the trick?"
Xiao Fang's smile widened, not mockingly—but carefully. "I could tell you," he said, his tone calm and asured, "but there's sothing I need you to do for first."
The uneasiness Luo Yue was feeling beca stronger,
"What do you want to do?"
.
.
.
In the Soul Devouring clan's Main Hall, Luo Yue stood before a panel of Elders, relaying what Xiao Fang had asked of her.
"He wants you to sneak him into the Inner Court? For what purpose?" one Elder questioned, brows furrowed.
"Could we have misjudged him? What if he isn't really a Dual Cultivator?" another murmured.
"Or worse—what if he's a spy? A threat to the sect? If we help him, we might be implicating ourselves."
"That's absurd. He clearly possesses Dual Cultivation abilities."
"Oh really? Then why would a true mber of the Dual Cultivation clan need to sneak into his own clan?"
The Elders' voices rose and fell in heated debate, each unwilling to concede to the other's assumptions. That was, until one voice cut through the noise.
"I can confirm it," ca a calm declaration. "He is a Dual Cultivator."
All heads turned.
"Elder Luo Cai?" one of them asked, visibly surprised. "You're certain? How can you be so sure?"
Luo Cai took a slow breath, her expression unreadable. Then, she spoke.
"We… encountered each other last night. It wasn't planned. I sensed his presence while I was out and… I brought him back to my residence."
The room fell silent.
"You brought him ho?" another Elder asked cautiously. "And…?"
She hesitated, her cheeks turning a deep crimson. "At first, I wasn't sure what ca over . But the mont we were alone… it was as if sothing drew to him. I couldn't resist. I didn't want to resist."
"And did you… Dual Cultivate with him?" another asked, almost reluctantly.
Luo Cai's lips parted, but no words ca. Her silence, and the sudden blush spreading across her face, said more than enough.
Several Elders exchanged wide-eyed glances. A few cleared their throats awkwardly, others looked away entirely. It didn't take a master cultivator to deduce what had transpired between them.
Among all the Elders present, few commanded more admiration—or distance—than Elder Luo Cai. Revered not only for her exceptional talent and breathtaking beauty, but for her unparalleled genius in creating a new Soul Devouring technique, she stood as a figure of both inspiration and intimidation. Countless suitors had vied for her attention over the years, but none had ever succeeded in getting close. She was the clan's radiant gem—untouched, unreachable, and wholly devoted to her cultivation research. That she had chosen to Dual Cultivate with Xiao Fang… was nothing short of astonishing.
"…So he's real," one Elder muttered. "A true Dual Cultivator."
"Then the question now is—how do we proceed?" another asked, tension still lingering in the air.
The room buzzed with murmured discussions, voices overlapping—until one calm voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Biya," ca the firm call from Luo Yue's grandfather, his gaze shifting toward the quiet figure who had remained silent throughout the debate. "How is that boy's [ Soul rge ] training progressing?"
Luo Biya finally spoke, her voice asured and serene. "At the pace he's advancing… another day, no more."
There was a mont of silence, then the old man turned back to Luo Yue.
"Yue'er, do as he asked. If he truly possesses sothing that can elevate our Soul Devouring cultivation by leaps and bounds, then we must seize this opportunity—whatever the cost. I'll arrange an audience with a representative from the Dual Cultivation clan. Tomorrow night, you and Xiao Fang will accompany ."
Luo Yue hadn't followed every part of the elders' debate, but she bowed her head without hesitation.
"Understood."
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