A Dual-Cultivation Method

Breaking through to the Breath-Connecting Realm hadn't brought him the slightest increase in strength.

After breaking through to this realm, many aspects wouldn't suddenly surge out of nowhere. Their effects would become apparent only through subsequent progress.

But it wasn't as if there were no changes at all. The most noticeable improvement was his body's ability to recover.

Lin Xuan drew his knife across one of his fingers, drawing blood, then immediately wiped the blood from the wound.

According to the Grand Ancestor Internal Strength, this small wound would be completely healed by tomorrow at the latest. He was testing whether the text's claim was true.

If it really was, and his body could recover several times faster than an ordinary person's, then he wouldn't have to fear ordinary cuts and sword wounds.

A hellish thought suddenly occurred to Lin Xuan. Can a Breath-Connecting Realm martial artist really withstand a thousand cuts?

Then he shook his head. "I'll find a Qiangqu person to try it on someday."

The boiled medicinal soups were already of next to no use to someone in the Breath-Connecting Realm, so he planned to give them directly to Lin An.

Lin Xuan was currently in the Qin Family's small courtyard at the Thousand-Household Office. His mother, Chen Fang, had already fallen asleep. Lin An was practicing martial arts in the courtyard while keeping watch, in case anyone barged inside and disturbed his breakthrough.

He climbed out of bed on tiptoe, then opened the door.

Bathed in moonlight, the young woman had her hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore a clean, practical blue-green martial outfit that let her move freely, and was practicing the Four Extremes Fist he had taught her, one move at a time.

Lin An hadn't made much progress during this time. Her talent wasn't outstanding, and she no longer had the chance to eat Black Bear Spirit meat and make a sudden leap forward like before.

Hearing the door open, she turned around and saw Lin Xuan looking at her with a smile.

"Judging by your expression, you've broken through to the Breath-Connecting Realm."

Lin Xuan raised his head proudly. "That's right. It only took one try to enter the Breath-Connecting Realm."

Lin An lowered her fists and stood still, the moonlight glinting on the beads of sweat across her forehead.

Her eyes curved into a faint smile. "I knew you'd make it."

A trace of hard-to-detect gloom mingled with the joy in Lin An's eyes.

She had trained hard for days and still hadn't reached the middle stage of Bone Binding, while Lin Xuan had gone from the peak of Bone Binding to the Breath-Connecting Realm in barely half a month. The gap between them kept growing.

She lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "You're getting stronger and stronger, while I'm still standing in the same place. I'm afraid that soon I won't even be able to lend you a hand."

Lin Xuan shook his head. "What are you talking about? I have you to thank for looking after me and my mother all this time.

"The medicinal soups are useless to me now. From now on, you can have all five doses each month. That should help you catch up soon.

"Besides... I heard there's a path of dual cultivation in martial arts that can speed up cultivation. I'll go see Thousand-Household Commander Su after daybreak and find a way to get one. We can try it and see if it works."

Through his natural cultivation, he could increase his cultivation speed sevenfold. He didn't know whether dual cultivation would let the other person improve just as quickly.

"Dual cultivation? What does that mean?" Lin An didn't really understand. It was beyond anything she knew.

"It means a man and a woman cultivating together, harmonizing yin and yang."

Lin An still didn't quite understand. A question mark seemed to hang over her face.

"You'll know once I get a dual-cultivation manual," Lin Xuan said. He couldn't explain it clearly either.

He had actually wanted to replicate a martial arts prodigy for Lin An, but when he checked his Talent Pool and saw that it would cost Dao Rhyme points, he discovered that copying such a talent would take ten points.

Copying the Martial Dao Holy Fetus was even more expensive. It required twenty-five Dao Rhyme points, and he didn't have a single one.

After daybreak, Lin Xuan arrived at the entrance to Thousand-Household Commander Su's home.

"Flag Commander Lin Xuan, here to pay my respects to Thousand-Household Commander Su." Lin Xuan explained his purpose to the gatekeeper.

He was soon ushered into the sitting room of Thousand-Household Commander Su's home.

"Why have you come to see me so early, Flag Commander Lin? You must have good news, right?" Thousand-Household Commander Su asked with a smile, his gaze full of expectation.

Lin Xuan replied respectfully, "My lord, I've broken through to the Breath-Connecting Realm."

Thousand-Household Commander Su laughed heartily. "I knew it! Your talent really is out of the ordinary. You entered the Breath-Connecting Realm in just three months. You have a bright future ahead of you—a bright future indeed!"

"I've already submitted a report about your talent. It may not be long before it reaches Commander-in-Chief Li."

"Thank you, Thousand-Household Commander Su."

Su waved a hand. "No need to thank me. It's just standard procedure. Once any martial arts prodigy in the army has been confirmed, they're reported to the imperial court."

"Lord Su, I wanted to ask if there are any dual-cultivation methods in our army."

Su looked as if he could barely hold back his laughter. "Hahaha, Flag Commander Lin Xuan, you really know how to joke. How could the army possibly have a method like that?

"Do you have a wife who's a martial artist?"

He found it rather strange. Generally speaking, not many women practiced martial arts, and few were willing to endure the hardship. Apart from wealthy families that had their daughters train, few people invested resources in women—unless the woman truly was a genius.

"That's right. Do you know where I could get one, Lord Su?" Lin Xuan continued.

Su replied, "That sort of manual is rare, but it does exist. There's a sect over in Wuqu Province called the Qiyun Sect that has one. But it doesn't fall under the military's authority. If you really want it, I'm afraid it won't come easily."

"About how much silver would it cost?" Lin Xuan asked.

"I couldn't say. I've never asked.

"If you want it, I can lend you two hundred taels of silver. Pay me back when you have the money, and I won't charge interest." Su had no intention of simply giving Lin Xuan the money.

Giving money outright was a condescending handout, and Lin Xuan might feel he was being "charitable." An interest-free or low-interest loan, on the other hand, was a helping hand in a time of need.

"Then I'm grateful for the loan, Thousand-Household Commander Su. Still, I feel I should pay you at least some interest."

Su clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes full of indulgence toward the prodigy.

"What need is there to talk about interest between us?"

He immediately called over the steward, who fetched two hundred taels in silver, put it into a brocade pouch, and handed it to Lin Xuan. The pouch was heavy in his hands.

"Thank you for your help, Thousand-Household Commander Su."

Lin Xuan asked again, "But I have one more question. What happened to the bandits? Has Commander-in-Chief Li wiped them out yet?"

Su considered the question briefly. "Everyone in the military camp has been talking about it. You haven't heard?"

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Right, you've been in seclusion these past few days, trying to break through to the Breath-Connecting Realm. It's only natural you're out of the loop."

He explained the situation to Lin Xuan.

"A few days ago, Commander-in-Chief Li joined forces with Commander-in-Chief Hong and routed King Cui Zhao Chengde's army of tens of thousands. Zhao Chengde was left with only a little more than twenty cavalrymen and fled to Phoenix-Perch Ridge. The army is probably searching for him in the ridge right now.

"Two elite armies from the imperial court and several Martial Saint experts are hunting him down. I doubt there's anything he can do to turn things around. At last, the imperial court can catch its breath."

Lin Xuan's heart tightened. He couldn't help feeling sorry for the leader of the Righteous Army.

In the end, he still couldn't stand against the imperial court? A hero like that shouldn't meet his end so soon. I really want to meet him and discuss the Dao!