229: Chapter 229: Understanding Boss Cao

In an instant, the air in the living room froze.

Xiao Yating stared at Xiao Ran for a moment. When she saw that Xiao Ran felt no embarrassment at all, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes, which then turned into amusement.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, carrying an expression that was half-smile and half-mockery.

"Young Master Xiao, are you trying to board the carriage before buying the ticket?"

Xiao Ran nodded.

He leaned forward, resting his hands on the coffee table.

"Sister Xiao, I am a straightforward person; I don't like beating around the bush."

"Look, the ruins are about to open, and with my current cultivation base, entering them would just be serving myself up on a platter."

"Zhao Wudi, Sword Dust, Li Qingyun—which one of them isn't at the Peak Soul Transformation Stage? If you want me to help you retrieve the Other Shore Flower, you at least need to ensure I can make it out alive, right?"

Xiao Yating picked up her teacup and took a sip, remaining silent.

Xiao Ran continued: "Besides, you can't wait any longer, can you?"

Only then did Xiao Yating look up at Xiao Ran.

"What if you take my Pure Yin Qi to break through, and then don't retrieve the Other Shore Flower for me in the ruins? Wouldn't I have just let you play with me for nothing?"

Xiao Ran had already planned for this question.

He reached into his robes, pulled out a jade box, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Xiao Yating.

"Open it and see."

Xiao Yating glanced at him, picked up the jade box, and opened it.

Her pupils constricted slightly.

Lying inside the jade box was a crystal-clear Jade Slip, emitting a faint pink glow.

Ancient runes flowed across the surface of the Jade Slip, each one exuding the vicissitudes of time.

This was an object from tens of thousands of years ago.

"This is..." Xiao Yating's voice became uncertain.

"It is the Legacy item of a powerful female expert from the ancient era, the complete refining method for the Rainbow Feather Garment."

"Is this thing enough to serve as a wager?"

"If I cannot retrieve the Other Shore Flower, then this item will belong to you."

Xiao Yating stared at the Jade Slip for several breaths before picking it up and probing it with her Divine Sense.

A moment later, she put down the Jade Slip, her gaze becoming complex.

"Where did you get this?"

"An Ancient Battlefield in the Northern Territory."

Xiao Yating thought quickly in her mind.

The refining method for the Rainbow Feather Garment was a supreme treasure left behind by an ancient expert, worth a fortune.

Furthermore, her Cultivation Technique had reached its limit; if she didn't engage in Dual Cultivation soon, she really wouldn't be able to hold on.

For the past few months, she had been unable to sleep every night due to the torture of the Pure Yin Qi, and could only rely on meditation to forcibly suppress it.

That feeling was like having a ball of fire burning inside her body, burning her until she felt miserable all over.

"You certainly know how to do business."

Xiao Yating's heart was already wavering.

Xiao Ran struck while the iron was hot, walking directly up to her and looking down at her.

"Sister Xiao, can we do it?"

Xiao Yating's face flushed slightly.

She had lived for eight hundred years; what great storms and waves had she not seen?

But to be asked so bluntly by a junior at the Soul Transformation Stage was a first.

"You..."

Xiao Yating's voice became a bit hoarse.

"Just tell me, can we do it or not?"

Xiao Yating took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable palpitation in her heart.

She had already made up her mind, so she stood up directly and turned to walk behind the screen, her steps somewhat flustered.

"Come in."

Xiao Ran curled the corners of his mouth and followed.

Behind the screen was an elegant bedroom.

There was a large sandalwood bed, embroidered quilts and pillows, and a glazed lamp hanging at the head of the bed, emitting a soft pink glow.

The air was filled with a faint, lingering fragrance; it was the special calming incense of the Wanhua Society, which could make one's body and mind relax.

Xiao Yating stood with her back to him, her hands undoing the jade belt at her waist.

As expected of an old Cultivator, she was certainly direct.

Xiao Ran immediately stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Xiao Yating's waist from behind.

Xiao Yating's body stiffened slightly, taut like a fully drawn bow, before gradually softening and leaning into his embrace.

"Sister Xiao, don't be nervous."

Xiao Ran whispered in her ear, his hot breath spraying onto her earlobe, making it ticklish.

Xiao Yating bit her lip, her earlobes turning as red as if they were dripping blood: "Who is nervous?"

"If you aren't nervous, why are your hands trembling?"

Xiao Yating looked down and saw that her hands were indeed trembling slightly.

She simply stopped pretending and turned around to look at Xiao Ran.

The distance between the two was so close that they could count each other's eyelashes.

"Kid, if you dare to lie to me, I will definitely make you regret coming into this world."

Xiao Yating's voice was very soft.

How could Xiao Ran possibly back down at this moment?

"Rest assured, I may not be good at other things, but I always keep my word."

After saying that, he immediately kissed her.

Xiao Yating closed her eyes.

The Pure Yin Qi accumulated over three hundred years finally found an outlet at this moment.

She felt that the flame which had been burning inside her for three hundred years, the moment it touched Xiao Ran, was like having a bucket of oil poured onto it, exploding with a boom.

Inside the bedroom, the candlelight flickered, and the scene was infinitely romantic.

...

Xiao Ran had originally thought that one session of Dual Cultivation would at most allow him to break through from the Early Stage of Spirit Severing to the Late Stage.

After all, he had spent quite some time going from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage, and had gone through a series of battles in between, so his accumulation was deep enough.

But he had underestimated the amount of Pure Yin Qi that Xiao Yating had accumulated over three hundred years.

The feeling was like he thought he was drinking a cup of water, only to discover a river in front of him.

That night, he felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his whole body feeling warm and comfortable.

Every pore was opening, greedily absorbing that gentle power.

That Pure Yin Qi surged into his Dantian like waves of a tide, merging with the Guixu Vortex and turning into a powerful spiritual force that crazily impacted the invisible Bottleneck standing between the Middle Stage and Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage.

Once, twice, three times...

He gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, desperately guiding that spiritual force.

The Guixu Vortex in his Dantian spun crazily; with every rotation, the spiritual force grew stronger by a fraction.

Boom!

Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage.

The Bottleneck was breached as if it were made of paper, and the spiritual force surged into the new Meridians like a dam breaking.

Xiao Ran felt a sense of relief all over, as if he had laid down a burden of a thousand catties.

But before he could even catch his breath, the Pure Yin Qi continued to pour in, wave after wave, as if it would never run out.

Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage stabilized.

Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage Perfection.

Peak Soul Transformation Stage.

Xiao Ran felt as if he were riding a rocket; his cultivation base was soaring upwards rapidly.

He gritted his teeth and continued to absorb, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

The Guixu Vortex inside his body grew larger and brighter, like a black sun.

A full seven days.

After seven days, that Pure Yin Qi was finally exhausted.

The moment the last trace of Pure Yin Qi was absorbed into Xiao Ran's Dantian, Xiao Ran felt every cell in his body cheering.

He opened his eyes, feeling his body filled with surging power.

Peak Soul Transformation Stage, only one step away from the Void Refinement Stage.

Xiao Yating leaned in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, not knowing whether she was asleep or pretending to be.

Her breathing was even and steady, and a flush still lingered on her face.

Xiao Ran looked down at her, a strange feeling suddenly welling up in his heart.

This woman is truly nourishing!

No wonder Boss Cao likes young married women; this feeling is just too good.