Chapter 613 - 612: A Sudden Question, Straight Man and Straight Woman

After a hearty meal, Li Jing and Chen Yuran set up the sofa, projector, and screen in the villa courtyard, then laid down to watch a long-lost Blue Star soap opera.

Li Jing, of course, didn’t like watching soap operas.

But Chen Yuran did.

Strictly speaking, she did not exactly like them either.

It was just that during her days as a patrol officer, having very little social interaction, this was her only source of entertainment.

She had nothing better to do.

In the rift space, it was an eternal night, perfect for using the projector.

Revisiting an old soap opera wasn’t a bad choice, was it?

While enjoying the mindless soap opera, Chen Yuran bit into a spirit fruit dessert and glanced at the man by her side, biting her red lips as she leaned slightly towards him.

Seeing this, Li Jing blinked and naturally wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Having the opportunity to hold his beautiful girlfriend in his arms, he certainly wouldn’t refuse.

On her part, Chen Yuran leaned in, glanced at his "claw" resting on her waist, then looked up at him.

"You’ve been waiting for a long time?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing flashed a smile.

A soap opera.

He couldn’t really get into it.

He was only accommodating Chen Yuran.

Truth be told, he was indeed waiting for this moment.

This peaceful night.

In the wilderness.

Alone together.

Watching a soap opera.

Wasn’t it time to get intimate?

Of course.

If it were Yulian...

She would probably have already been taken into the Little Universe by Li Jing for some exercise.

Li Jing was not the kind of man who thought with his lower body.

But not making use of his beautiful companion would not be very manly.

Seeing Li Jing admit it with a grin, Chen Yuran went slightly red, then curiously asked,

"With you, does one’s cultivation level really increase?"

?

Li Jing was somewhat taken aback.

He turned to Chen Yuran, and asked puzzledly,

"Where did you hear this from?"

"Sisi."

Chen Yuran replied.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Just as expected.

Just when he was about to laugh at the absurdity of it all, Chen Yuran said,

"She told me everything about you two, and why she’s been able to progress so rapidly in her cultivation these past two years. I know."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued,

"And about the Dual Cultivation Method, I’ve borrowed it from Sisi."

Upon hearing these words, Li Jing fell silent, then spoke earnestly,

"Strictly speaking, we haven’t really spent much time together as a couple and we’re far from taking that step. If you’re just trying to increase your cultivation level, it seems a bit... weird."

"If it’s for cultivation, yes, it would be weird."

Chen Yuran couldn’t disagree, her gaze flitting away as she spoke,

"But I can’t keep you waiting forever, can I?"

Without waiting for him to reply, she looked down and played with her fingers.

"You know my personality, waiting for me to make the first move would be like waiting for a flower to bloom on an iron tree. Especially now when our cultivation levels are so different, we have fewer chances to be alone together."

Having said this, she lifted her face.

"I’m not a damsel in distress, constantly needing you by my side, that would be too selfish. But cultivation is a long road, and I want to catch up with you as soon as possible. At least that way I can spend more time with you, and not just be a burden to you."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was momentarily speechless.

He was well aware that Chen Yuran was striving to catch up with him.

Yet when faced with her forthright admission, he found himself at a loss for words.

He blinked down at her, took in the sight of her beautiful face and her flickering yet steady gaze, and unconsciously tightened his hold on her waist.

"Yuran, you are overthinking things. Your cultivation level has never been important to me. I..."

Chen Yuran interrupted him before he could finish.

"You indeed wouldn’t mind these things, but you should understand me. I do."

"..."

At a loss for words, Li Jing fell silent.

Chen Yuran’s interruption had cut off Li Jing’s carefully prepared words.

He did understand.

Chen Yuran’s competitiveness was not a recent development.

Having fewer opportunities to be together was indeed an essential issue.

But more than that.

Chen Yuran felt she was too weak compared to him.

With a somewhat helpless smile, Li Jing touched his nose and said,

"The Dual Cultivation Method... Sisi and I had actually talked about it before. It may not be suitable for you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuran frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Seeing her serious expression, Li Jing hesitated before bravely carting on,

"Sisi’s Cold Heart Physique is fundamentally a form of the extreme Yin constitution. In the Immortal Realm, it would be considered a classic Furnace Ding Physical Constitution. The Dual Cultivation Method we practice complements each other, it’s not a one-sided extraction. Because my cultivation level is much higher than hers, this has brought about considerable enhancement for her."

After saying this, he added,

"Take Ayu, for example, the Dual Cultivation Method doesn’t work on her at all. She used her natural Fox Demon talent to extract..."

Halfway through his sentence, Li Jing coughed and corrected himself,

"In short, that’s the way it is. Just understand it."

Chen Yuran was silent, her face revealing something unspeakable.

The words of Li Jing, she didn’t doubt.

How does the saying go again?

Experience leads to true knowledge.

People draw conclusions based on their actual "practice".

But what about the current situation?

She has already said it, and the rational pretext is not applicable anymore.

This...

What should she do?

Some things...

Chen Yuran had seriously considered.

As she said...

At this point, her chances of being with Li Jing were too slim.

They were together, supposedly.

Theoretically, they could meet frequently.

But it felt like they were in two different worlds...

Not just her...

Even Liu Sisi and Yulian felt the same way.

Them, as they were now...

Were too weak.

They couldn’t stay with Li Jing.

But at least they had ways to quickly improve their "routes".

But she didn’t.

At this stage, she was indeed relying on the God Pattern and her own qualifications to barely keep up with the other two.

But what about later?

This was her concern about their powers.

Chen Yuran was even more worried about...

As things stand now, she didn’t know when she would get to the next step with Li Jing, and how to move on thereafter.

Most of the cultivation families on Blue Star value matching social status.

The combination of the strong and the strong is even more about a similar cultivation level.

That, it’s not without reason.

When the gap between them was too big, it was too easy to feel distance...

Finally seizing the rare opportunity of being alone and idle, Chen Yuran plucked up the courage to speak and took the appropriate pretext to take the next step, but was blocked by Li Jing.

How could this not leave her speechless?

In essence...

She justified her need to quickly improve her strength as the "right reason"...

But why didn’t the usually "understanding" Li Jing get it?

Chen Yuran was naturally a straightforward woman.

Li Jing was able to "deceive" her...

For a large part, it was because he could tolerate and indulge her.

And even appease her.

But at this moment, she found...

When Li Jing was being straightforward, she seemed unable to tolerate it.

Seeing that Chen Yuran was looking a little unhappy, Li Jing was filled with confusion.

What’s wrong?

She...

Couldn’t be upset about this... right?

That couldn’t be...?

There is no shortcut in the path of cultivation, which is a principle that Chen Yuran should understand without him reminding her.

So...

What was this for?

Just as he was puzzling over it, Chen Yuran got up.

"Let’s go, into the house."

?

Li Jing...

"If I ask you to come over, you come over."

Chen Yuran spoke impatiently, walked straight into the villa.

Li Jing followed subconsciously, though completely in the dark.

His girlfriend wasn’t happy.

Although he didn’t know why...

But he surely had to try to coax her, right?

...

They entered the house, one after the other.

Just as Li Jing stepped inside the door, Chen Yuran closed it with a bang, cornering him.

???

Li Jing...

Before he could figure out what was happening, Chen Yuran broke the silence.

"I do not understand the Forbidden Method, create a restriction to avoid being disturbed by others."

"..."

Li Jing...

When Chen Yuran said this to him face to face, of course he understood.

In the end...

He wasn’t really that straightforward.

He was just considering his little girlfriend from the perspective of a boyfriend.

He just hadn’t grasped Chen Yuran’s true thoughts.

Looking back at the entrance that was being blocked by a slender arm, Li Jing turned back, speechless.

"Yuran, you..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yuran cut him off.

"Hurry up, stop dawdling."

"Ah, this..."

Li Jing felt awkward. After some thought, he pulled out the Array Eye from the Little Universe that was protecting Canglong Mountain, and said.

"If you want me to set it up, at least you need to let me out, right?"

This was the first time Chen Yuran had seen these seven Array Eyes in Li Jing’s hand.

But as soon as she saw it, her Spirit Weapon informed her that these seven Array Eyes were of the Half-step Taoist Artifact level and the materials used to refine them were extremely intricate.

Upon receiving this information, Chen Yuran reluctantly let go of him, saying.

"Don’t think about running, or else..."

Before she could finish, Li Jing pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and bit down hard.

"Hm!"

Chen Yuran widened her eyes.

This sudden attack caught her off guard.

Instinctively, she tried to struggle.

But how could her little strength stand a chance against Li Jing?

His strong dominance simply made her whole body go weak.

After a long while.

Li Jing reluctantly let go of Chen Yuran, gently stroking her cheek.

"Wait for me."

"..."

Chen Yuran.

Although she didn’t know what was going on.

But Li Jing, who seemed indifferent to her a moment ago, seemed to have changed his mind!?

Looking at him leaving in confusion, she awkwardly stood up.

Once Li Jing left the room, he quickly set up the Seven-Star Formation, flew into the sky and quickly formed the seals with both hands.

"All the stars in the universe, heed my command, Eternal Reincarnation."

With a "swoosh", the vast starry sky appeared in the air, replacing the black night sky in the crack space, hanging in the air.

At the same time.

The entrance to the rift space, which could trap the Half-step Return to Origin, making them unable to open the Eternal Reincarnation to the independent world, was blocked.

Having done all this, Li Jing dusted off his hands and turned to return.

At the door, Chen Yuran saw him returning, her heart fluttering.

Li Jing landed, neither laughing nor not.

"You can still back out now."

"..."

Chen Yuran.

Li Jing changing his mind caught her unprepared, and she couldn’t control her confusion.

She felt...

She may have just given herself away for nothing.

But this was also a step she wanted to take.

Once it came to the crunch, she would not back down.

Biting her red lips, Chen Yuran whispered, looking at him.

"You...lead the way, I don’t know how."

Upon hearing her murmuring softly like a mosquito, Li Jing did not hesitate to pick her up in his arms and step through the door.

As he went in, he didn’t forget to whisper in a big bad wolf tone.

"Rest assured, leave it to me."

Run?

That’s not an option.

If he wanted to run.

Could he pull out the Array Eye that protects Canglong Mountain in the Little Universe?

To Chen Yuran.

He indeed had many concerns.

Especially in that aspect.

But now that Chen Yuran seemed to have made up her mind, he had no reason to object, did he?

He had already tried to persuade her.

What was left was simply to let things take their course, right?

...

For the next three days, life was beautiful and full of cinema-like moments.

Why three days?

Because of Li Jing.

Why only three days?

Because Chen Yuran couldn’t stand it anymore...

Noontime.

Chen Yuran lay in bed dumbfounded, thinking about what she had just experienced.

In the rift space where there was no distinction between day and night, she couldn’t even tell how much time had passed.

Liu Sisi and Yulian...

Had they also had such experiences?

In a daze, Chen Yuran recalled Liu Sisi’s face when she had "instigated" her, acting as if she was doing it for her own good.

At that time, she didn’t think much of it.

As a woman in love, her IQ inevitably dropped when it came to matters involving Li Jing.

Upon reflection now.

It seemed like Liu Sisi had set her up.

Enjoy.

Indeed, there was.

After all, Li Jing was very gentle with her.

His want for her, also brought her joy.

But this relentless desire was a bit too much.....

With a heavy sigh, Chen Yuran struggled to sit up, the pinch of sour pain in her waist from the previous second made her grit her teeth and grimace.

She was completely floored.

She couldn’t help thinking.

Even if she was someone who was making big strides towards the Eleven Realms.

Three days.

In just three days, she ended up like this!

Recalling the events of the past three days, she couldn’t help but blush and feel embarrassed.

For one who was new to romance.

Some things were too stimulating.

And some playfulness was too embarrassing.

However, thinking about those moments she couldn’t describe in words she seemed to yearn for more.....

Looking down at her once flawless body now stained with countless marks, Chen Yuran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She sat cross-legged and chose to meditate.

Her "wounds" needed to be healed with Spiritual Qi.

The "hard work" of the past three days was not completely fruitless either.

As Li Jing said beforehand.

The same method didn’t work for her.

Unlike Liu Sisi, Chen Yuran didn’t have a Furnace Ding Physical Constitution, and she didn’t have Yulian’s gifted talent as a monster, so she couldn’t gain significant benefits.

But Dual Cultivation, after all, must have its benefits.

Especially when Li Jing’s cultivation level was far higher than hers now.....

These three days.

At least it was worth more than her half a month’s cultivation in Zhenyuan Tower.

Half a month in Zhenyuan Tower.

That was equivalent to several years!

After all, a day was equivalent to three months.

The fact proved.

There were shortcuts.

Yet, her path was not as convenient.

To keep going, she might have to bear quite a lot of hardship...

At the moment, Chen Yuran was unlike Liu Sisi and Yulian, who could naturally adapt to the increased power within their bodies. She needed time to stabilize these enhancements, otherwise, the sweat and effort of these past three days would have been wasted.

Chen Yuran meditated for a while before Li Jing entered the room with a meal tray.

He briefly hesitated when he saw her meditating, then understood that she was stabilizing her cultivation.

But Chen Yuran...

She wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Was she being careless or what?

Doing his best to divert his gaze from her delicate body, as white as jade, Li Jing stepped quietly into the room, placed the meal tray beside the bed, and then quietly left.

...

A moment later.

Li Jing came to the courtyard of the villa, stretched leisurely and then looked up at the profound starry sky, his eyes shining.

Three days.

A lot of people had arrived outside.

The entrance was sealed by the Eternal Reincarnation, so no newcomers were able to enter.

But who amongst them was an insider, and who wasn’t?

It was difficult to tell.

Zhong Shen Zhou was vast.

Like the other Four Realm of Immortals, it was sparsely populated, hence news was slow to spread.

But in the Immortal Realm...

News about the discovery of blessed lands or treasures spread at an astonishing speed.

This was something countless people were eagerly waiting for.

In the Immortal Realm.

Exploring blessed lands could lead to overnight wealth or sudden enlightenment, obtaining mysterious treasures could elevate one from ordinary standards to top-tier. Cases like these were common.

To seize these opportunities...

It all depended on one’s abilities and luck.

The location was not too far from Nightly City, and the portal opened by Scholar and the others was still visible in the sky, hence the news naturally spread quickly.

Not to mention that Nightly City was full of reckless "treasure-hunting enthusiasts".

At this moment.

They were attempting to crack the Eternal Reincarnation.

At this moment, Li Jing could not see the events outside, but he could sense that the Eternal Reincarnation was subjected to some kind of attack or cracking method every now and then.

This sensation was.

Present when he was doing his "main business".

Wasn’t it annoying?

But it wouldn’t make sense to dismantle the Eternal Reincarnation halfway through.

As for now.

Li Jing had no intention of lifting the Eternal Reincarnation.

He didn’t intend to see if anyone could crack the Eternal Reincarnation, but if the insiders were all blocked outside, the Immortal Realm’s master plan would definitely fall into a stalemate.

Wasn’t that what he hoped for?

Just as he was pondering, a fragrant breeze swept over from behind him.

"What are you doing standing here?"

Li Jing was slightly startled by the voice and turned around.

In his sight, Chen Yuran, now fully dressed, approached him.

Seeing her expression as calm as if nothing had happened, Li Jing blinked and asked.

"Don’t you want to meditate a little longer?"

"My cultivation has stabilized, there’s no urgent need."

Chen Yuran responded, glanced at him and then quickly averted her gaze.

"You haven’t answered my question."

Seeing her apparent shyness, Li Jing couldn’t help but reveal a slightly teasing smile while answering.

"Many people have arrived outside but they can’t get in because the entrance is sealed. I am considering whether to keep it sealed all the way."

Chen Yuran slightly frowned upon hearing this and said.

"Does it... really need to be like this?"

Speaking, she continued thoughtfully.

"If this plan could be solved just by you sealing a door, then it wouldn’t be called the plan of the Great Ability of the Upper Three Realms. Besides, aren’t you curious about what’s behind this big plan?"

Li Jing shrugged on hearing this.

"I’m indeed curious, but I’d rather you not be forced into certain situations."

"I don’t want that either."

Chen Yuran agreed and said.

"But as you said, we can’t avoid what’s meant to come."

After speaking, she added.

"Moreover, compared with what’s hidden behind this big plan, I’m more curious about what kind of karma relates to me. I’m not the chosen one Scholar and the others are waiting for, so what role am I playing in this?"

Listening to Chen Yuran’s words, Li Jing remained silent.

He too, was puzzled.

If Chen Yuran was not the chosen one, then she shouldn’t be the key figure, right?

But why does it seem like she is the key figure?

Just as he was pondering, Chen Yuran spoke.

"Speculating about this now is meaningless. They don’t seem to be able to crack your arrangement anytime soon. Scholar said earlier that it would take half a month for one in the Venerable Realm to reach the forbidden place of Candle Dragon. So, some things simply can’t happen that quickly, such as the activation of mechanisms. Therefore, it’s not difficult to conclude that to see the real result, we need to wait at least over a month."

After such a long speech, she cleared her throat lightly.

"Let’s keep the seal as it is for now. We’ll wait until someone breaks it, or there’s no movement outside. Since we have nothing else to do, we might as well continue with our training inside."

???

Li Jing.

She made sense, he understood.

Indeed, there was no fault in what Chen Yuran had said.

However...

What did she mean by "continue training"?

She’s resumed once, does she want to continue...?

Seeing that he was still stunned, Chen Yuran avoided his gaze and said.

"What? Don’t you want to train with me?"

Li Jing was utterly disorganized at her words.

But upon further thought...

This was so Chen Yuran.

Apart from the great effects it showed on Liu Sisi, the method of dual cultivation was actually quite effective on Chen Yuran as well.

Understanding her desire to take a few more steps on her shortcut was easy...

After all, this was Chen Yuran.

With mixed feelings in his heart, Li Jing formed a seal with his hand and reinforced the double seal of Eternal Reincarnation in the sky, then turned around.

"Let’s go, it’s time to train."

...