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

Yu Luoning was helpless, but her eyes were as sincere as could be.

"Yes, of course it's you. Why are you so insecure?"

He seemed dissatisfied with her quick reply.

Cui Xiu narrowed her purple eyes and continued to press, "Compared to your good cousin?"

Yu Luoning answered without hesitation, "You."

Cui Xiu snorted coldly and said again, "Then compare it to that pheasant?"

She was clearly her little phoenix.

Yu Luoning inwardly scoffed, "You."

"Then... compared to the Conch Boy?" Cui Xiu tightened his grip on her waist, still pressing for an answer.

Yu Luoning cupped his face in exasperation: "You, you, you, it's all you, okay? Of everyone, you're the most amazing."

Cui Xiu was still dissatisfied with her answer, her brows furrowing slightly. "Are you just giving me a perfunctory answer?"

Yu Luoning's heart skipped a beat; she couldn't quite explain what her feelings for Cui Xiu were.

He was the one who wanted to kill her, yet he was also the one who saved her from life-or-death situations time and time again.

Perhaps, in the hidden corners of his heart, there is a small but significant place that belongs to him?

But so what? No man, no love, can compare to her ambition to reach the top.

Once she understood this, the guilt in Yu Luoning's eyes faded.

She raised her hand, her knuckles gently running through the man's long, dark hair, and leaned down to whisper a soft, tender voice in his ear.

"Xiuer, in my heart, you are you, a unique spark. You don't need to compare yourself to others."

Upon hearing this, Cui Xiu froze, her purple eyes, clouded by passion, staring at Yu Luoning like an abyss, as if trying to see through her soul.

Yu Luoning did not dodge. She lowered her head, kissed his slightly cool lips, and then freed one hand to take Cui Xiu's large palm and press it against her heart.

There is a heart beating powerfully and dirty there.

"Can you feel it?" Yu Luoning looked at him, her eyes serious. "There's a place for you here now. Everyone is different, but I'm greedy and can't easily choose. But if you insist on ranking them, at this moment... it's you."

This statement, half true and half false, is like a deadly poison.

As Cui Xiu felt the vibrant pulse beneath her palm, the fierce aura between her brows slowly dissipated.

But in no time, he snapped out of his daze. This woman was always eloquent and could make the dead seem alive with her words.

Cui Xiu chuckled lightly, letting out a self-deprecating laugh, "Ningning, I've certainly experienced your ability to lie through your teeth."

Their breaths were almost touching. Cui Xiu stared at her with his deep purple eyes and said, "An hour ago, you took your sword and wanted to die with me. Half an hour ago, you chose that pretty boy with the mask instead of me. You don't care about me at all, not even a fraction of what you say you do."

Cui Xiu scoffed, "Little liar, not a word of truth comes out of your mouth."

Yu Luoning remained silent.

Help! She's having such a hard time!

She really isn't good at handling these kinds of dramatic scenes. Since that's the case, the more she says, the more mistakes she'll make, so she should play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses.

Yu Luoning was too lazy to argue with him, so she simply shut him up.

The kiss was deep and fierce.

Various forms of teasing and flirting.

Cui Xiu was jolted awake, his deep purple eyes widening suddenly. After a moment of surprise, a spark ignited, and he took the initiative.

Inside the barrier, the two were oblivious to the world around them, completely absorbed in their tender intimacy.

Outside the barrier, in a dark corner, Bai Rongling still had her back to them, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, firmly maintaining her meditation posture.

But on his smooth forehead, the veins were now visible, and fine beads of sweat kept seeping out.

Even with his five senses shut down, the reproductive power of the Creation Divine Water still tormented him to the point of unbearable pain.

If he could just hold on a little longer until the two of them broke the great formation, he would immediately use a secret technique to return to the Changming Sacred Domain, and never again... step into this disgusting place of right and wrong.

Who would have thought that such a shameless and despicable formation could exist in this world?

……

Time passed unnoticed within the great formation. When Yu Luoning regained her senses, surprisingly, she did not experience the aches and pains of being crushed or the ambiguous, miserable state of being covered in bruises.

She was a little surprised, but quickly got used to it.

Yu Luoning was about to sit up.

... (omitted here)

She gasped, huffing and puffing, and turned her head to meet a pair of satisfied, deep purple eyes.

"You could have completely erased all traces, yet you deliberately left half. What was your purpose?"

"My vital essence is a rare and highly nourishing substance, which will greatly benefit your cultivation."

As she said this, Cui Xiu didn't look at her; her gaze was elsewhere, and a hint of unease flashed in her arrogant purple eyes.

"You... refine it carefully, don't waste the resources."

Yu Luoning's ears twitched, and upon hearing the word "cultivation," she immediately stopped being angry.

"Oh, then I thank you for your kindness~"

Yu Luoning rolled her eyes upwards.

He closed his eyes and calmly immersed himself in cultivation.

Seeing the woman who had instantly entered a meditative state and was completely ignoring him, Choi Soo's expression froze for a moment.

He didn't make a sound to disturb her, but sat quietly beside her, watching without moving.

After Yu Luoning completed a small cycle of Qi circulation, she opened her eyes and saw Cui Xiu looking at her with a hint of inexplicable doubt in her eyes.

Yu Luoning: "Why...why are you staring at me like that?"

"Why do you look a little different?"

Yu Luoning was suddenly startled.

As someone who's obsessed with good looks, this is absolutely the most important thing.

She asked cautiously, "Have I become prettier or uglier?"

Cui Xiu looked her up and down, then hesitated slightly before saying, "I can't tell, isn't it all you?"

Yu Luoning rolled her eyes in exasperation.

With him always wearing that flashy purple outfit, she shouldn't expect him to be able to tell the difference between beauty and ugliness.

Yu Luoning decisively took out a bronze mirror from her storage space and carefully looked at her face.

Even she was stunned by the photo.

Her original appearance was already nine-tenths beautiful.

After these few days of yin and yang interaction, her bone structure and skin appearance have undergone another profound transformation.

Her facial features were still the same, but the contours seemed to have been optimized to the extreme, and her skin condition had also improved. Before, it was like a peeled egg, but now it had been upgraded to a piece of jade, which was smooth, translucent, and full of spiritual energy.

A great deal of doubt arose in Yu Luoning's heart.

According to the rules of the "Handsome Men's Compendium," only by engaging in dual cultivation with the men featured in the compendium can one obtain a facial enhancement that modifies one's features.

But Cui Xiu isn't listed in the encyclopedia either?

Yu Luoning's eyes darted around, and she asked with sparkling eyes, "Cui Xiu, what is your cultivation level now?"

Cui Xiu scoffed, picking up a strand of her long hair and twirling it in his hand, his tone extremely arrogant, "You will never reach my level of cultivation in this lifetime."

Yu Luoning suppressed the urge to kick him, pulled out a lock of her hair, and snorted coldly, "Where's Bai Rongling? What's his cultivation level?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Cui Xiu's eyes, "A mere ant in the Nascent Soul stage, not worth mentioning."

Yu Luoning ignored the arrogance in his tone, after all, she was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

If the Nascent Soul stage is like an ant, then what is her Foundation Establishment stage?

A sudden flash of inspiration seemed to hit Yu Luoning, and she felt as if she had suddenly understood.

So that's how it is. Bai Rongling is at the Nascent Soul stage, which is why he was able to be included in the Illustrated Compendium. However, Cui Xiu and Xing Qi, who are far away in the Upper Realm, have not been included in the Illustrated Compendium for a long time. It's not that the two of them lack the aptitude or cannot be recognized by the Illustrated Compendium, but rather that their cultivation is too terrifying.

The encyclopedia is limiting the number of copies she can make!

Damn! Are they afraid she'll become invincible?

Yu Luoning felt uneasy, but unfortunately her system was engaged in a battle and hadn't returned home yet.

I guess he lost the fight and has probably gone off to some secluded corner to heal his wounds.

Yu Luoning sighed.

Despite being frustrated, he was unable to replicate any of Cui Xiu's techniques this time, but his appearance was improved, which was still a gain.

After all, she's a true sucker for good looks; who doesn't like a beautiful older woman?

After figuring all this out, Yu Luoning's gaze towards Cui Xiu changed.

She had originally planned that once this absurd formation was broken, everyone would go their separate ways.

But now?

This isn't some difficult-to-please Cui Xiaoxiao; she's clearly a treasure trove waiting to be discovered.

As long as they work hard to improve their cultivation, one day they will all be included in her encyclopedia.

Since they are a major future client, now is definitely the best time to strengthen our relationship.