Peerless Divine Art

After returning to the Bamboo House, Han Shuangjiang and Chu Huai Xu parted ways.

Fox Face walked inside, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began trying to cultivate the "Sword Refining Art."

He was a little curious: how many Experience Points would he gain from one session of "idle cultivation" like this?

So far, Chu Huai Xu had spent a total of 79 Experience Points, leaving him with 121.

Breaking through the second aperture would cost 140 Experience Points.

It was worth noting that his Character Panel displayed "Experience Points Available for Free Allocation."

The Experience Points gained from cultivating the "Sword Refining Art" could only be used to level up that technique.

They couldn't be used to level up other cultivation methods or skills.

Once he'd adjusted his state, Chu Huai Xu took a deep breath and braced himself.

It'll probably hurt a lot too, right? he thought.

Leveling up with Experience Points was like compressing the entire cultivation process into an instant, letting you reap the rewards at once.

The reason it had hurt earlier like a motorcycle running over him again and again was that he'd experienced all the pain from each round of cultivation in a single instant.

Chu Huai Xu was simply curious now: What does normal cultivation feel like?

Well, it wasn't as if he was addicted to it.

The "Sword Refining Art" began circulating through his body, and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy surged toward him.

The reason the Aperture Opening Stage wasn't considered true cultivation was that you couldn't retain Spiritual Energy in your body, and therefore couldn't produce Spiritual Power.

At this stage, once the Spiritual Energy entered the body, its only purpose was to help open the apertures.

Only after all Nine Apertures were Fully Opened could one open the Xuanhuang Secret Treasury within the body and set foot on the path of cultivation!

During the entire Aperture Opening Stage, it was the body's physical condition that improved most noticeably. That was why it was also called the Aperture Forging Body Stage.

At that moment, as soon as Chu Huai Xu began circulating the cultivation method, his body trembled slightly.

He began to feel the pain.

"How do I put it? It feels like countless hands are twisting my flesh?"

"Every last bit of flesh on my body!"

What the hell, were they trying to wring the dampness out of my whole body?

Chu Huai Xu had only just started letting his thoughts wander when he immediately felt the gathered Spiritual Energy begin to dissipate.

That made him realize why the "Sword Refining Art" had such a terrible reputation in its comments section. They were all either "Don't Cultivate" or "Listen to Advice."

"So I have to steady my mind throughout the whole cultivation process?"

He had to endure it the entire time, or the whole session would be wasted!

All that pain would have been for nothing.

Chu Huai Xu immediately gathered his thoughts and did his best to adjust.

As his cultivation deepened, he could clearly feel the pain intensifying.

The sensation was exquisite. It felt like those countless invisible hands weren't just twisting his flesh.

After twisting it up, they were wringing it from side to side.

Chu Huai Xu had thought he'd gradually grow numb as time passed.

But, strangely enough, he didn't!

He'd only circulated the technique for one full cycle, yet it felt as if a whole year had passed.

He began to miss his days as a player.

Damn it, give me back my pain-sensitivity settings!

As a result, Chu Huai Xu got so worked up that the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to dissipate again.

"."

Once he'd successfully circulated the technique for one full cycle, he snapped his eyes open and could only brace himself against the bed with one hand as he panted.

"My nickname really wasn't wrong. This 'period pain' is going to be the death of me."

"I can't cultivate on the bed anymore. I'll put a meditation cushion on the floor and sit there. Damn it, I'm drenched in sweat, and I've stained the mattress!" This virtual male model was pretty fastidious.

He was even considering cultivating naked, since he was too lazy to do laundry and didn't want his clothes to stink from all the sweat.

Putting those thoughts aside, Chu Huai Xu checked how many Cultivation Technique Experience Points he'd gained.

"Nine points?" The corner of his mouth twitched.

And that was with one point in his Spiritual Embryo Attribute. Without it, he'd have cultivated even more slowly!

"That 'Sword Refining Art' is a real pain in the ass!" he gritted out.

He calculated that after cultivating twice, his total Experience Points would reach 139.

Leveling up the cultivation method required 140 Experience Points.

"That one missing point is the most infuriating part! I'm seriously gonna throw up!"

Fuming, Chu Huai Xu hurriedly grabbed the Booklet and vented his frustration.

He opened to the Third Page and added a huge exclamation mark after "Peerless Divine Art," which he'd written in the comments, to drive the point home.

"Phew—!"

In the Bamboo House next door, Han Shuangjiang, who had also been working hard at cultivation, opened her beautiful eyes and let out a long breath.

Her ample chest rose and fell ever so slightly.

At that moment, she was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her long, beautiful legs crossed. She was a breathtaking sight.

She'd been born with wide hips and a perfect waist-to-hip ratio, and her bottom was full and pert. Sitting on the bed now, her flesh spread slightly under the pressure, pushing out against her robe until it bulged, as if her voluptuous curves might spill out at any moment.

The Joyful Sect's female sect leader, who was known for her enormous backside, admired this most about Han Shuangjiang. She felt she'd found the perfect successor to her teachings.

—She could pass on Guanyin Sitting Lotus and Enlighten All Beings.

At that moment, a hint of delight shone in Han Shuangjiang's beautiful eyes.

Every time she cultivated, her whole body felt relaxed and utterly comfortable.

More importantly, she'd broken through the second aperture with ease.

Opening her apertures really was a little too easy for her.

"It's just a pity that after opening each aperture, my body needs time to adjust."

"Maybe I'll have to wait until tomorrow before I can try to open the third." Han Shuangjiang guessed.

Today, she'd reached an agreement with Chu Huai Xu. They'd live and cultivate together for the time being, and try to break through the Aperture Opening Stage as soon as possible, becoming true cultivators.

"I thought that with the Outer Sect's outrageous prices, a hundred taels of silver wouldn't be enough, and we'd be in a real hurry." she thought.

"Now it seems I was worrying for nothing."

She hadn't once considered Chu Huai Xu's cultivation progress.

In her eyes, he'd been brought up the mountain by the Sixth Elder along with her, so he was probably just as capable.

"But we should still be careful with our money."

"Cultivation requires wealth, a method, companions, and a place."

"There'll be more ways to make money in the future, but even more things to spend it on." Han Shuangjiang knew at least that much.

After thinking it over, she decided it really would be better to make a fire herself, buy groceries, and cook.

"It takes a long time to walk over there for a meal. I could cook one in that time." That was what she thought, anyway.

Other people's money deserved even more care.

From Chu Huai Xu's clothes and appearance, Han Shuangjiang could tell his family was probably of modest means, though he had an exceptionally refined air about him.

"Maybe that hundred taels of silver was all his parents' savings?" she could only guess.

Money earned through the hard work of someone else's parents deserved even greater care.

Every coin and every tael, all pieced together, embodied their fervent hopes for their child.

At that thought, her eyes dimmed. Her parents had sold her into a brothel when she was little.

She lowered her head and looked at her smooth, jade-white ankles. There was nothing on them.

Han Shuangjiang knew that some of the girls in the brothel tied a red cord around their ankles.

Many of their patrons thought the cord looked beautiful while making merry, adding a hint of allure to their jade-like feet.

Only those in the trade knew that a red cord around the ankle meant the wearer still had something tying her to the past.

Some women of the night had been kidnapped and trafficked, or their families had gotten into trouble.

A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet. A red cord around the ankle meant: don't forget the way home.

But what about her?

She didn't even have that simple token to hold on to.

Near midday, Han Shuangjiang left her Bamboo House, deciding to have a proper talk with Chu Huai Xu about the money-saving tips she'd come up with.

Chu Huai Xu heard a knock and opened the door.

He took one look at her and felt that something seemed different about her.

Chu Huai Xu immediately used Information Scan on her. The system reported that Han Shuangjiang had opened her second aperture.

"You broke through?" he asked.

"Mm." She gave a slight nod. She didn't know how he'd seen through her; it was as if she had no secrets from him at all.

"Funny, I just opened mine too." Chu Huai Xu leaned against the door, looking completely unruffled.