Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

In the stillness of the night, moonlight, like shattered silver, spilled onto the glazed tiles of the Star-Picking Palace.

With a flash of purple light, Yu Luoning reappeared in this vast, white immortal abode.

This time, she didn't expect it to be such an awkward situation again.

In the center of the vast hall, a mica screen with intricate gold and colorful carvings is partially obscured.

Xing Qi had clearly just finished bathing, and was wearing a loose, snow-white immortal robe.

Her long, wet hair was gathered to one side, and glistening water droplets slid down her delicate collarbone and finally disappeared into the depths of her clothes.

Hot steam rises and swirls in the air.

Yu Luoning felt that the little fairy's eyebrows and eyes were shrouded in a layer of hazy mist, making him so beautiful that it was simply unreasonable.

She held the milk tea and remained motionless.

Both of them fell silent.

"I said... I didn't mean to come at this time, do you believe me?" Yu Luoning broke the silence.

The young man slightly raised his eyes, turned his body slightly, and hurriedly adjusted his immortal robe.

I believe you.

Yu Luoning breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she wouldn't be treated like a pervert.

She quickly handed over the milk tea in her hand, and said as if presenting a treasure:

"Thank you for helping me find my earring. I'll treat you to bubble tea. It's considered a top-tier drink in the mortal realm; it's nice to try something new once in a while."

The boy was clearly hearing this strange name for the first time, and his initial embarrassment was quickly dispelled by curiosity.

He politely accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

Then, somewhat hesitantly, she asked, "Did you... come here specifically to deliver this?"

Yu Luo nodded: "Little Immortal Lord, I see that your immortal abode is so luxurious that it could buy half of Nanchuan. I suppose you lack nothing. After thinking it over, I realized that this is the only skill I have that I can offer, so I specially made this for you to try."

Her expression was so sincere.

Xing Qi grew up in this Star-Picking Palace.

Because of his special status, he had no friends at all, except for his elusive older brother who would occasionally visit.

Upon suddenly seeing the lively and spirited girl, I couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness to her.

Xing Qi lowered her eyelashes and said earnestly, "Thank you, I will finish it."

Yu Luoning rubbed his hands together, and the atmosphere between the two became somewhat awkward.

Yu Luoning felt the abundant spiritual energy here, as if it were flowing into her body through her energy channels like water.

She felt uneasy, having come specifically to soak up some spiritual energy. She wanted to run away, feeling a little embarrassed.

But the opportunity was rare, and she didn't know how she could come back openly and legitimately next time. So, Yu Luoning wanted to find a reason to stay a little longer.

Since we're already here...

"Um... Little Immortal Lord, why don't you try it now? By the way, I'm particularly interested in those sect secrets you told me last time, could you tell me about them again?"

Xing Qi nodded and led Yu Luoning to a luminous couch where they sat down.

The two took their seats.

Xing Qi slowly took a sip, and the sweet taste spread across her tongue.

He stared in astonishment, his eyes wide with shock.

Yu Luoning could tell at a glance that this was yet another young boy who had been won over by milk tea.

"Not bad, right? This is my secret recipe."

Yu Luoning pressed her advantage, "We're quite destined to meet. If you like it, I can make it for you again next time."

Upon hearing this, Xing Qi suddenly raised his head, his vast, star-like eyes fixed on her. "Is there anything you need me to do for you?"

Yu Luoning was taken aback by the question, and shook her head somewhat helplessly: "I don't need you to do anything. I just... when I first saw you, you looked so familiar, like I'd met you in a past life."

A hint of confusion flashed in Xing Qi's eyes: "Have we met before? But I've never left this place."

Yu Luoning remained silent for a second, feeling guilty.

This was just her usual pickup line tactic.

Yu Luoning chuckled twice. "That's because you have a kind face! I feel especially close to you the moment I see you. You see, I've never teleported to the wrong place using my teleportation technique; I always land here. What does that mean? It means that this is fate arranged by God!"

Upon hearing this, Xing Qi found it quite reasonable and laughed, "What you said makes some sense."

"That's more like it! We've been chatting for so long, and I still don't know your name. My name is Yu Luoning, you can call me Ningning."

Xing Qi answered earnestly, "My name is Xing Qi. You can call me..."

He suddenly froze, because no one had ever called him by his nickname in his entire life.

"Then I'll call you Xing'er?" Yu Luoning asked, seizing the opportunity. "By the way, you just said you've never left here. Doesn't your sect allow its disciples to go out and train? Aren't you bored being cooped up at home all day?"

Mentioning this, Xing Qi's originally bright eyes dimmed a bit, and he lowered his eyes to look at the remaining pearls in the cup.

"There are certainly opportunities for sect training, but due to my special status, I cannot leave this place."

Seeing that the boy was unwilling to say more, Yu Luoning did not ask any further questions.

However, that little thought of trying to get some spiritual energy suddenly stopped.

She looked at Xing Qi, her tone softening unconsciously: "So what if we can't go out? The outside world is lively, but it's also very chaotic. If you get bored, I'll often sneak over to see you and tell you about all the weird things that happen outside."

"Really?" The boy's voice trembled slightly.

Yu Luoning nodded emphatically: "Of course, because we're friends now."

friend?

Xing Qi slowly uttered the two words, imitating their pronunciation.

He felt a tingling, numb sensation in his chest, an experience he had never had in his more than ten years living in the Star-Picking Palace.

Seeing that he didn't react for a long time, Yu Luoning deliberately put on a disappointed expression and slumped her shoulders.

"What, Xing'er, don't you want to be friends with me anymore? After all that talking, I thought we were already friends..."

"Of course we're friends!"

Xing Qi became a little anxious, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her pale face. "I... I've just never had any friends before, so I lost my composure just now. Please don't misunderstand."

Seeing his adorable, bewildered expression, Yu Luoning couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I know! Someone as beautiful as Xing'er, I'll believe whatever she says."

Xing Qi was speechless at her straightforward praise. He lowered his eyes slightly, and his porcelain-like ears turned bright red without him even realizing it.

The two sat on the cloud couch and chatted for a while longer. Yu Luoning did some quick calculations and felt that the spiritual energy she had absorbed was almost enough to digest this wave, so she took the initiative to speak:

"By the way, Xing'er, I'm going on an adventure to a secret realm in ten days. So I'll have to go into seclusion and cultivate like crazy during this time, and I might not be able to come see you often. Don't doubt our great revolutionary friendship just because I won't be coming!"

Upon hearing this, Xing Qi's clear eyes first flashed with envy, which was then replaced by deep worry.

To be honest, he could see through Yu Luoning's cultivation level the moment she first descended from the sky.

Xing Qi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He had never seen anyone with such a low level of cultivation in his entire life.

You should know that he had already learned to draw qi into his body while he was still in his mother's womb.

In his view, Yu Luoning, who was at the second level of Qi Refining, was basically no different from an ordinary person.

He frowned deeply: "Are you going alone?"

Yu Luoning: "There are others traveling with me. Although I'm the weakest newbie among them, I have a life-saving trick! Look at my teleportation technique, I can travel tens of thousands of miles in a flash."

She chuckled and tentatively asked, "If I get injured in the secret realm and have nowhere to go, I'll teleport here to hide for a while. You'll have to take me in, right?"

Xing Qi replied, "You're always welcome here."

"However, your cultivation level is still too shallow, and I'm still worried. You're the first friend I've ever made, and I don't want that to be the last time we meet. How about this, I'll give you a method to save your life."

Upon hearing this, Yu Luoning was moved, but also felt ashamed.

She wanted to befriend the boy, but it wasn't because she was interested in his status. He was so innocent; Yu Luoning felt she was taking advantage of a kind person's good heart.

Xing Qi extended his index finger and gently tapped it in the air.

In an instant, a jade talisman shimmering with silvery-white light landed in Yu Luoning's palm.

"This is……?"

"This is a jade talisman for reversing time."

Xing Qi explained softly, "If you encounter a certain death situation in the secret realm, simply crush it, and you can forcibly distort spacetime within a radius of a hundred miles. Not only can it allow you to escape instantly, but it can even reverse time by three breaths, reversing life and death."

Yu Luoning remained silent.

She placed the jade talisman on the jade table and pushed it back to the boy's side.

She said, "I can't accept it."

The boy asked dejectedly, "Why?"

Yu Luoning gave a wry smile.

"This is too precious, I'd be restless if I accepted it. Although I like to take advantage of things, I still have my limits."

"I can't offer you a treasure of equal value in return. Besides, you are a disciple of a superior sect, and there is a huge difference in our status. Befriending you is already a great advantage for me."

"Well, anyway, I don't think you should make friends like this."

Xing Qi was slightly startled, his face filled with surprise. No one had ever said such a thing to him before.

They said, "Xingqi, you are the son of a god, you are the guardian stone in the Taiyu Cangqiong, you cannot leave this place."

They let him peek into the secrets of heaven, but kept silent about the suffering he endured for doing so.

Xingqi has become numb to one-sided efforts.

Now, he only wanted to give the girl a small magical artifact, but the girl felt that she could not repay him and refused to accept it.

Xingqi looked at her, his voice utterly sincere: "Ningning, you are my only friend. I don't want to lose you."

The boy's eyes were filled with glittering stars, making them irresistible.