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

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Yu Luoning: "Come in."

The door opened, and Shi Shangxu stood in the doorway. He glanced around the room, his gaze settling on Yu Luoning.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her face pale, but her eyes clear.

With his mid-stage Foundation Establishment divine sense, Shi Shangxu sensed the difference in Yu Luoning almost the instant he entered the room.

Her skin was no longer just fair, but had a texture like cold jade.

Her appearance hasn't changed, but her features have become more refined.

Most importantly, her temperament has changed; she exudes an ethereal aura, as if she has washed away all artifice.

Shi Shangxu knew that his gaze was too direct, so he quickly lowered his eyes and avoided looking at her.

"Miss Luo Ning, you've broken through?"

Yu Luoning nodded, "I've already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining."

Shi Shangxu looked up at him, his eyes filled with shock. "I remember you were at the fifth level of Qi Refining before."

"Promoted five ranks in a row?"

As he spoke, Shi Shangxu's voice unconsciously rose.

He wasn't thinking about how talented she was, but rather how she managed to advance five levels in a row, each level a tempering of her body, the pain of tearing and reshaping, layer upon layer, how she endured it.

He didn't say it aloud, but just looked at her with heartache.

Yu Luoning felt his gaze, her eyes flickered, and she casually stretched, stood up from the bed, and raised an eyebrow at him: "How about it? Compared to you geniuses, how do I compare?"

Shi Shangxu said seriously, "I've never heard of anyone being able to break through five levels in one go."

"Now you see," Yu Luoning said, raising her chin triumphantly, "standing before you is the genius Luoning."

Shi Shangxu chuckled softly, "At this rate, you'll soon be officially an inner disciple. As for contribution points, I'll earn them with you."

Yu Luoning waved her hand, "We're nominally cousins, there's no need for this."

Shi Shangxu interrupted her, "Whether she's a cousin in name only, or something else entirely."

He paused, looked up at her, his gaze direct, "You are someone I care about."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Yu Luoning blinked.

"oh."

She responded softly, turned her head, and pretended to tidy up the things on the bed, her ear twitching slightly.

The treasure-hunting mouse lay on the table, its paws covering its mouth, its eyes narrowed into slits.

Shi Shangxu lowered his eyes again, took something out of his sleeve, and handed it to her.

It was a small bell, metallic bronze in color, with an antique design and an ordinary appearance, but it faintly exuded a spiritual energy fluctuation.

"This is a love bell. It is tied around the waist. When you encounter danger, you can infuse it with spiritual energy and shake it. The person on the other end can sense it."

Yu Luoning took it, bent down to fasten the belt, and looked at him, "Is the other end yours?"

"Um."

Yu Luoning looked down at it, said nothing, and fiddled with the bell.

Fortunately, the bell doesn't ring all the time; it only rings when infused with spiritual energy.

Otherwise, if she, who doesn't sleep well, were to turn over in the middle of the night and wake Shi Shangxu from the inner door, that would be troublesome.

Shi Shangxu remained silent.

The room was quiet for a while, while the ancient pine trees outside the window rustled in the wind.

Shi Shangxu stood up, preparing to leave. He walked to the door, stopped, and spoke with his back to her in a low voice:

"Don't take such risks in the future. If you want to break through in your cultivation, at least find a safe place, or tell me, and I'll protect you."

Yu Luoning hummed in agreement.

The order of the hours and the order of the hours remained unchanged.

He paused for another second before raising his hand to push open the door, his voice even lower than before:

"Well... I'm going back now."

He walked out, and the door closed gently behind him.

The footsteps faded into the distance outside the courtyard; they weren't walking very fast.

Yu Luoning sat on the bed, listening intently to the footsteps until they were completely gone, before lowering her head to look at the bell at her waist again.

She flicked it lightly with her fingertip.

A bell without spiritual energy makes no sound, and the person on the other end cannot sense it.

Yu Luoning suddenly lay back down on the bed, closed her eyes, and crossed her legs.

She twirled a small bell between her fingertips and shook it playfully.

I feel inexplicably happy.

The treasure-hunting mouse suddenly came closer and whispered, "Master, he's walking so slowly."

Upon hearing this, Yu Luoning suddenly sat up and got off the bed.

She ran to the door, hid behind it, and peered out through the crack in the door.

Shi Shangxu stood at the courtyard gate, his back to her, seemingly lost in thought, standing there motionless.

Yu Luoning pressed her face against the crack in the door, watching intently without blinking.

Just then, Shi Shangxu seemed to sense something and slowly turned around.

The two locked eyes through the crack in the door.

Yu Luoning: "..."

Time and order: "..."

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by a sharp whooshing sound.

The young man rode his sword and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The treasure-hunting rat lay on the table, looked at the door, then at Yu Luoning, and said in a serious tone, "Master, he's run away."

"I saw it."

Yu Luoning's lips curled into a smile, her mood becoming increasingly pleasant.

Tonight, she wants to test whether the skills she copied before have improved in sync; otherwise, she will leave the Time Quotient.

Even if you just use him as a pillow, you can sleep with him.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the alleyway outside the courtyard, a figure leaned against the wall.

Cao Jinglei watched Shi Shangxu's departing figure with a gloomy look in his eyes.

He had figured out the exact times when the Shang and Shang orders would enter and exit.

An inner disciple would come out to request a token once, and since he's here today, it's unlikely he'll be coming again anytime soon.

He lowered his head, fiddling with a dark jade pendant in his hand. It was secretly given to him by Jiang Yuxing's men, who said it was a life-saving treasure that could suppress the opponent, so he could act without worry.

Cao Jinglei gripped the jade pendant tightly, and a slow smile spread across his face.

The woman had quite a few good things in her hands. Jiang Yuxing stared at her, and he stared at her too, but the two of them wanted different things.

He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Yu Luoning's courtyard.

The time is almost here.