Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Dual Cultivation

The buildings on the periphery of the core area were limited in number, lived in only by Senior Members of the Family or important descendants, and it was impossible to build any more manors.

What was left included only courtyards.

Although the courtyards were not small, they still couldn’t match the grand manors.

Generally, the manors were sufficient because the senior members saw hardly any change for decades.

It was very difficult for those below to rise up.

As for the important descendants, they usually lived in courtyards; only Zhou Luo was an exception.

Back then, the family’s reason for assigning him a manor stemmed from a conflict between two factions, a special case.

This matter had once caused dissatisfaction among many family descendants.

But no one dared to say anything.

It wasn’t until everyone heard that Zhou Luo might have died in the Longfeng Mountain range that those discontented voices naturally emerged.

Only because they feared Lin Xi’s status, they didn’t dare take action; at most, they aired a few complaints to express their dissatisfaction.

Then, the family produced a genius formation master, Lin Feiyu.

He was only eighteen years old, yet he had advanced to an intermediate formation master and possessed a mid-grade spiritual root, with a bright future ahead.

Lin Feiyu was originally a descendant from the family’s collateral line, always working as an apprentice in Maple Leaf City, with a lowly status.

Now valued by the family, once he gained recognition, his status changed dramatically.

But when he moved into the outskirts of the core area, he was startled to find he only had a small courtyard.

This deeply disappointed him, as he had intended to bring his whole family to live there.

He felt rather resentful, and just as he heard the news of Zhou Luo’s death, encouraged by other family members, he naturally targeted the Zhou Garden.

After all, he was a man who could potentially become a Second Level Formation Master, with talent and potential on par with Zhou Luo’s.

Not to mention he was a member of the Lin Family, while the other was just a married-in outsider.

So, during this time, Lin Feiyu had kept pressuring the family.

A senior member on the family’s side also paid a personal visit, indicating both directly and indirectly that if Zhou Luo died, the Zhou Garden must be handed over.

Even though Lin Xi was the Fifth Miss of the family, this elder didn’t care.

Hearing this, Zhou Luo indicated that he understood, but that didn’t mean he would accept it.

Just at that moment, Xu Changsheng suddenly strode in hurriedly from outside, and the two men stopped speaking.

"Brother Zhou, Lin Feiyu is here," he said.

Hearing those three familiar words, Zhou Luo raised an eyebrow.

Could this visitor mean no good?

But very soon, he realized he was mistaken.

Lin Feiyu hadn’t come to show hostility or provoke; he was there to apologize.

"Brother Zhou, it is all my fault; you must forgive me," Lin Feiyu stood there respectfully, his voice trembling with fear.

This took Zhou Luo by surprise.

It seemed this guy wasn’t completely brainless after all.

Initially, he had intended to properly punish the fellow.

But now that the other party had personally come to apologize, he couldn’t very well say much more—especially since Lin Feiyu had brought him a pile of gifts.

Therefore, Zhou Luo magnanimously declared forgiveness.

He also learned from Lin Feiyu that his patron was none other than the Second Elder, Lin Guang Xuan.

The discipline of formation arrays had always been under the control of the Great Elder’s faction, so Lin Feiyu’s allegiance to them was hardly surprising.

Considering the situation, the Great Elder’s faction must have suffered significant suppression from the main family, explaining their increasingly frantic actions.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have started arranging for Lin Feiyu to occupy Zhou Garden before even confirming Zhou Luo’s death.

This clearly indicated they aimed to cultivate Lin Feiyu as a second Zhou Luo.

With the main family’s influence growing ever stronger and the Great Elder persistently in Closed-Door Training, his faction members were likely nurturing their own petty schemes.

This anxiety among the higher-ups drove them to urgently prove their faction’s strength.

Regrettably for them, they had bet on the wrong outcome.

Since they were wrong, they needed to admit it.

Hence Lin Feiyu was sent here.

Once Zhou Luo unraveled this underlying logic, he saw no point in making things difficult for Lin Feiyu and let him depart.

When all was said and done, Lin Feiyu was merely a pawn maneuvered by those in power.

This incident remained a minor episode. Afterwards, Zhou Luo proceeded to visit each of his wives and concubines for conversations.

This marathon of visits lasted until evening, leaving him thoroughly exhausted.

And this was with only seven wives. If more were added later, he doubted he could maintain such meticulous attention.

After dinner, Zhou Luo returned to his quarters.

He immediately retrieved The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique.

Last time, he had only given it a cursory glance without proper study.

Now safely home, he was determined to examine it carefully.

The ancient Hehuan Path had always been recognized within the cultivation world as an extraordinary orthodox path.

Unlike those evil cultivators who merely hijacked the name of Hehuan, this path held genuine potential for becoming an immortal.

Consequently, countless devotees ardently pursued it.

This dual cultivation technique required both practitioners to share deep mutual understanding and soul resonance to unleash its full efficacy.

This fundamental principle alone affirmed its orthodox nature.

Consider, after all, those active in the world purportedly following the Hehuan Sect—their techniques relied solely on draining others’ vitality to bolster their own power.

The dual cultivation technique of this ancient Hehuan Path was entirely different.

It synthesized the essence of yin and yang, the five elements, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Through joint practice by a man and woman, it facilitated a state of profound mental and physical fusion.

Evil arts exhaust the opponent to strengthen oneself, while righteous methods involve mutual reinforcement.

During cultivation, the man and woman exchange spiritual energies within their bodies. Through specific techniques and postures, they circulate this energy through each other’s systems, thereby accelerating training speed and enhancing both their physical constitutions and soul power.

The art of dual cultivation is, in essence, no different from regular practice.

The advantage of The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique lies in this: when cultivating with a partner, the amount of spiritual energy absorbed from heaven and earth is no longer limited to what one individual can achieve alone. Instead, it becomes the combined absorption capacity of the two cultivators.

This was analogous to when he practiced with his main wife, Lin Xi.

His Ninth Grade spiritual roots could absorb at most three to four strands of spiritual energy into his Qi sea per session, while she could absorb twelve or thirteen strands.

When cultivating together, the spiritual energy he absorbed would be the sum of both individuals.

Viewed this way, wasn’t he breaking through the constraints of his spiritual roots?

Possessing the training speed of fifth-grade spiritual roots while having Ninth Grade roots—this dual cultivation technique was truly formidable.

However, The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique allowed cultivation with only one partner at a time, and its effects increased progressively over time. It didn’t grant the speed of fifth-grade spiritual roots immediately.

If he later wished to change his dual cultivation partner, he would have to start everything from the beginning.

Therefore, it was impossible to please everyone equally.

Under such circumstances, selecting a suitable dual cultivation partner became the top priority.

Among his wives and concubines, Lin Xi was clearly the most suitable.

One reason was her possession of fifth-grade spiritual roots; the other was her early sixth stage of Qi Refining, the highest realm among them.

Apart from spiritual roots, cultivation realms also influenced dual cultivation.

When a high-realm cultivator practiced with a low-realm one, both benefited. However, the weaker partner could use this dual cultivation technique to gain insight into concepts the stronger partner had once comprehended.

Realm breakthroughs were not accomplished in one step; they required profound comprehension.

This explained why some spent decades in Closed-Door Training, while others stood at the threshold of Foundation Establishment but could not cross it.

Most failed not due to insufficient spiritual energy—they met breakthrough requirements—but due to lacking enough enlightenment, needing time to accumulate it.

Such enlightenment could be imparted, yet most had to grasp it themselves. After all, one cultivated their own path, not another’s.

But the power of The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique lay in its ability to synchronize minds and harmonize souls between practitioners. This meant your path became her path.

Her realm enlightenment became yours as well.

Boosting training speed and acquiring realm enlightenment were the two paramount benefits of this dual cultivation art.

Additional effects existed—these would have to be tested to be known.

Upon grasping this, he put away The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique and headed toward Lin Xi’s chamber.