The sun was setting beyond the trees, casting long shadows across the blood-streaked clearing. Ling Xian sat in the lotus position atop a rock, eyes closed, body enveloped in a thin aura of spiritual energy. His breath was steady—too steady. Even the birds had stopped chirping, as if sensing something unnatural.
Yan Ruyin sat nearby, carefully cleaning her blade. Though her wounds had mostly healed thanks to a few pills, her gaze often flickered to the silver-haired youth who had saved her.
He hadn't said much since slaying the Spirit Devourer. The moment they returned to a safe area within the forest, he'd simply sat down to meditate, as if to keep something inside him from breaking loose.
She watched him, brows drawn slightly in worry.
He's hiding something, she thought. No outer disciple should wield Sword Qi like that.
A sudden tremor ran through the ground.
Yan Ruyin looked up sharply.
Ling Xian's aura flared. His body began to tremble, and waves of chaotic qi exploded outward from him like a violent tide. The very air distorted as spiritual energy spiraled into his body—too much, too fast.
Cracks formed on the boulder beneath him.
Then, with a deafening boom—
Breakthrough.
A blinding light burst from Ling Xian's body as he soared into the next realm:
Stage: Core Vein Realm – Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm
But instead of calming down, his spiritual aura grew erratic. Dark veins surfaced on his neck, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Ling Xian!" Yan Ruyin rushed to his side. "You're bleeding! What's going on?"
He opened his eyes, and they glowed faintly with silvery light.
"Too fast," he muttered. "This body... isn't ready."
Yan Ruyin knelt beside him, gripping his shoulder. "You absorbed too much energy. Your meridians are breaking apart! Stop cultivating, now!"
But Ling Xian's body continued to tremble. He gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the roiling spiritual storm inside him.
"I can't suppress it forever," he said. "This cultivation method... it wasn't meant for this realm. Not in this body."
His breath turned ragged, and he clutched his chest in pain.
Yan Ruyin's heart clenched. "What do you need? Pills? A formation? I—"
"No," he said, voice low. "There's only one method that can stabilize it now."
She blinked. "What is it?"
Ling Xian met her gaze. His silver eyes flickered with hesitation… and then acceptance.
"A Yin-Yang cultivation technique."
Yan Ruyin's breath hitched.
"Dual cultivation?"
He nodded slowly. "Only that method can harmonize the spiritual imbalance and restore my meridians before they shatter completely. Otherwise, I may cripple myself... or worse."
She stared at him in stunned silence.
For a brief moment, the forest seemed to still. Only the wind rustled through the leaves above, as if giving space for the decision that lingered in the air.
"I've heard of it," she said quietly. "The Yin-Yang Harmonization Method. It's forbidden in many sects… misused by too many with ill intent."
Ling Xian didn't deny it. "It was never meant to be about lust or indulgence. When practiced correctly, it's sacred. A balance between two complementary forces."
Yan Ruyin looked down, her hands clenched in her robes.
"You saved my life," she said. "And yet, you never asked for anything in return."
She turned to him again. "Is this why you helped me? Hoping I'd repay you this way?"
Ling Xian met her eyes. "No. I helped because it was the right thing to do. I would've told you eventually, regardless of who you are."
Her gaze searched his face for any trace of deception. There was none—only pain, barely concealed, and a calm resolve behind his words.
"You should know," he added softly, "that this path isn't without risk. To your cultivation, your reputation... even your emotions."
Yan Ruyin was quiet for a long time.
Then, with a deep breath, she rose to her feet, her silhouette lit by the last rays of the fading sun.
"I need time," she said at last, her voice calm, yet uncertain. "This... isn't a decision to take lightly."
Ling Xian nodded slowly, his aura still flickering with instability. "I understand."
She turned her back, but paused after a few steps, her voice softer now.
"But if I choose to help you… it won't be just to save your cultivation."
She walked away, leaving Ling Xian sitting amidst the fractured ground and golden twilight.
The silence returned—but this time, it carried the weight of choice, not desperation.
To be continued...