Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World

Afterward.

Zheng Fa felt Zhang's hair grazing his neck. Upon lowering his head, he saw Zhang lazily lying in his arms, truly living up to her name.

It was only then that he noticed Zhang had at some point lit red candles in the room.

Usually, her skin was like the finest white jade, not only without a single blemish but even slightly translucent. Under the candlelight, it had a warm glow.

But now, this exquisite jade seemed to be bathed in twilight, brushed with rouge, suffused with vermillion, with a blush cascading boldly from earlobes to toes over her body.

Perhaps because Zheng Fa's gaze was somewhat explicit, Zhang leaned against his shoulder, slightly raised her head, and glared at him, yet her look contained a hint more shy playfulness than usual.

Even though Zhang said nothing, at this moment, both of them understood that their feelings for each other, their mutual relationship, had changed.

In the Xuanwei Realm, due to the cultivators' long lifespans, they supposedly experience everything in life eventually.

Including numerous oddities.

Actually, they have a significant degree of freedom regarding relationships, often with a fairly open mindset.

Perhaps in the mundane world, there might still be some idea of loyalty to one partner.

But cultivators... many indulge extravagantly.

To be more blunt, any cultivator, even in mundane status, would rival emperors and ministers, chasing after pleasures, maintaining harems is truly simple and effortless.

And female cultivators... keeping paramours is not uncommon either.

Not to mention some sects characterized by Dual Cultivation methods.

But Zhang is different.

Zhang was taken in and raised by Junior Master Huang, from a young age, hearing stories of her Master and Master-Grandfather.

Junior Master Huang and her husband, one willing to die for the other, the other willing to live desperately for the other, with regrets in death, yet pain in survival.

Yet their feelings for each other are considered steadfast, spanning tens of thousands of years.

Such experiences are bound to influence Zhang.

Even causing Zhang to be quite fearful of such emotions—she originally was a cold and reserved person, finding this exhausting, life-risking, path-destroying emotion sometimes incomprehensible, and at times like poison.

Therefore, the so-called purity was certainly important to Zhang, but not that important.

But 'entering the lion's den,' welcoming a new, unreserved feeling, made her faintly resist.

The matter of Dual Cultivation was initiated by her, yet now left her uneasy.

This angry glance, in truth, seemed more like an unspoken self-confirmation—confirmation whether Zheng Fa truly understood her slight, even unspeakable fear.

And Zheng Fa indeed needed no words, he held her tighter, the two pressed so close, almost hot, yet unwilling to separate.

Zheng Fa certainly understood.

When ordinary people indulge in pleasures of the flesh, it's primarily physiological pleasure.

But Dual Cultivation is more like extreme bliss from both psychology to physiology.

In dual cultivation, he and Zhang's bodies, Spiritual Power, and Divine Soul intertwined, almost as one.

Zhang's thoughts and fears, even those she faced despite the fear, Zheng Fa understood it all.

He wasn't mute, but being silent now was enough.

Zhang pressed her lips and smiled, her stray thoughts fleeting, she asked Zheng Fa softly: "According to my Master, the first dual cultivation enhances strength the most... how did you feel?"

Zheng Fa couldn't help but smile too.

"Senior Sister, I have now reached the late Golden Core Stage."

Dual cultivation, essentially—an adept leading the way!

Zheng Fa didn't know about others, but during their recent dual cultivation, he and Zhang almost shared insights about the Golden Core Stage, jointly absorbing Spiritual Energy from the void, jointly refining his Golden Core.

The way of heaven takes from the surplus to fill the deficit.

Uh, this seems a bit profound, according to Zheng Fa's understanding, because he and Zhang were entirely connected, it applies to the principle of connectors...

Zheng Fa could sense that due to his relatively weaker strength, during cultivation, most of the Spiritual Energy Zhang absorbed was essentially transferred to him, even her Spiritual Power subtly flowed toward his Dantian.

Perhaps it somewhat harmed her cultivation.

The greatest enhancement to his strength was Zhang's comprehension of the Golden Core Stage—knowledge truly can spread through bodily fluid!

Of course, Zhang's insights into the Golden Core were most beneficial to Zheng Fa only the first time, afterward somewhat repetitive.

This was why Zhang said the first dual cultivation most rapidly enhances Zheng Fa's cultivation.

Now, the small figure within Zheng Fa's Golden Core had grown to the size of a Golden Core, stretching arms and legs, capable of touching the aura of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend on the outer wall.

Next, Zheng Fa's goal is to accumulate Spiritual Power and break the Core, condensing into Nascent Soul.

With Zheng Fa's preliminary estimate, combined with Zhang's insights into the Golden Core, Zheng Fa predicted that at the earliest, he would complete his Golden Core within one year!

Upon hearing Zheng Fa say this, Zhang bowed her head and calculated, also began to laugh: "So, you spent only six years in the Golden Core Stage!"

"Junior Brother, in the sect, no, in the Xuanwei Realm, there's likely no faster person for Core Formation into Nascent Soul than you!"

It is indeed fast.

Counting even the modern cultivation time, Zheng Fa from Core Formation to completion wouldn't exceed ten years.

Among these, the primary reason being relatively abundant spiritual materials and spiritual medicine:

He cultivated the "Shenxiao Golden Core," and Jiushan Sect had an abundance of Thunder spiritual materials, extremely plentiful for him.