"Brother Lu, stop teasing me. Compared to you, I'm still a hundred and eight thousand miles behind!"
Zi Ling had not been speaking carelessly.
As soon as she emerged, Zi Ling saw Lu Shang waiting ahead.
She immediately released her divine sense, which had advanced by leaps and bounds upon forming her core, to examine him.
Apart from his cultivation showing as late core formation, Zi Ling could detect nothing else about his aura.
She also discovered that Lu Shang was absorbing spiritual energy at every moment.
This flow was extremely faint. Had Lu Shang not been standing right before her, and had she not cultivated a similar art, even an early nascent soul cultivator would likely have struggled to notice it.
This meant that Lu Shang's strength was very likely increasing at every moment.
"Brother Lu, while I was in seclusion making my breakthrough, your cultivation must have left mine far behind again," Zi Ling said tentatively.
"My cultivation did improve a little, but you're mistaken if you think I pulled far ahead, Zi Ling. I originally intended to enter a short seclusion while you were cultivating, but I could barely make any progress while guiding Wen Siyue."
At the mention of Wen Siyue, Zi Ling understood somewhat. "That little girl Si Yue really isn't someone who can endure cultivating in seclusion."
Both of them paused.
"If she really can't endure it, we should make plans early."
At that thought, Lu Shang sank into contemplation.
No matter how quickly Lu Shang cultivated, ascending to the Upper Realm and reaching great ascension would take at least seven or eight hundred years, perhaps as long as one or two thousand.
Unless Wen Siyue truly encountered some other opportunity, she would hardly have the lifespan to wait for him.
At her cultivation