Chapter 144 Where Did the Practice Go Wrong?
Upon hearing those words, Qiao Yuchan's face instantly blushed, overwhelmed by what was about to happen.
She promptly led Ling Fan through the corridors into a dark cabinet, turned the mechanism to enter a secret passage, and eventually came to a spacious secret chamber!
Ling Fan marveled in his heart, impressed by its secrecy.
"This place is very safe—no one will disturb us here," said Qiao Yuchan. "Only the Family Heads of successive generations in the Qiao family know about this secret chamber!"
As she spoke, she pointed to the small pool not even ten feet across in front of them. "That is the Spirit Pool," she explained. "According to what my grandmother said, it sits atop a Spiritual Spring and is enveloped in spiritual energy all year round, which is highly beneficial for cultivation!"
Ling Fan nodded slightly. "It seems to me that your rapid cultivation progress, aside from your inherent talent, is greatly aided by this Spirit Pool."
Qiao Yuchan did not deny it; the Spirit Pool indeed played a significant role in her cultivation!
Without another word, Ling Fan stripped off his clothes and hurriedly dove into the Spirit Pool. He had sustained some minor injuries from his previous exchange with Yuan Yangyao and needed to see if the Spirit Pool could help him recover.
Otherwise, healing Qiao Yuchan later would also be a considerable strain on him, so he eagerly plunged into the Spirit Pool to quickly restore his True Yuan.
However, Qiao Yuchan, standing nearby and watching Ling Fan's efficient movements, immediately blushed and felt somewhat annoyed. Couldn't this guy be a bit more subtle?
At that moment, Ling Fan felt the threads of Spiritual Energy from within the pool seeping into his body, causing his heart to tremble. The effect was no less than that of Earth's Milk!
If he could cultivate here for a year or so, the benefits would undoubtedly be substantial. Feeling the recovery of the Origin Force within him, he turned his head to look at Qiao Yuchan, who was hesitating by the pool.
"This Spirit Pool indeed greatly aids the cultivation of Origin Force," he said. "Come on in!"
Qiao Yuchan pursed her lips. Although it wasn't their first time being so open with each other, she still felt incredibly nervous, her hand lingering on her clothing buttons without actually unfastening them.
"Hey, I mean, it's not the first time," Ling Fan said mildly. "What's there to be shy about? Haven't you seen all of me too?"
"You...." Qiao Yuchan stomped her foot. Were the situations the same?
"How about this... I'll close my eyes, then you come in," Ling Fan compromised.
Seeing that he had truly closed his eyes, Qiao Yuchan bit her lip hard, turned around to strip off her clothes, and hurriedly lifted her legs to slide into the water.
The pool was too small, much smaller than the area of the Earth's Milk in the cave; as soon as they sat down, they were right next to each other, very close.
Ling Fan immediately began his cultivation technique, with the Spiritual Energy from within the spring swirling around his body and entering inside. Then Ling Fan released the Origin Force within his body, instantly filling the Spirit Pool with a surge of Primordial Yang Power.
"The Spirit Pool enhances my Primordial Yang Power. There's no need for deliberate physical contact to transfer energy. Come closer!" Ling Fan spoke again.
Qiao Yuchan also felt the peculiarity of the Spirit Pool, feeling enveloped by a force of Primordial Yang Power far stronger than the effects she'd experienced in the Earth's Milk.
Feeling Qiao Yuchan's hesitance to get closer, Ling Fan said, "Come a bit closer. If you want to recover faster, we need to set aside our reservations about gender for a moment. I won't do anything, just be at ease."
Indeed, transferring energy directly was the fastest method, but he didn't want to waste the opportunity and time when they could more effectively absorb the Spiritual Power of the pool—this way was more beneficial for both!
Hearing this, Qiao Yuchan lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and moved closer still. She could now feel Ling Fan's faint breathing and the masculine aroma emanating from him.
Her mind wandered involuntarily, especially as they got closer, the surrounding Primordial Yang Power became even more robust, and what embarrassed her more was that despite being invaded by this unusual aura, it felt incredibly comfortable.
Her face immediately turned a deeper shade of red, her heart pounding like the beating of a deer!
A moment later, he hastily discarded the distracting thoughts in his mind and began exerting his full effort to practice the Cultivation Technique, absorbing the Primordial Yang Power from within the Spirit Pool.
Several hours later...
"We will continue tomorrow, until your injuries are completely healed, and your Cultivation is fully restored," Ling Fan had already left the Spirit Pool, dressed, and spoke indifferently to Qiao Yuchan.
Saying this, he left the secret chamber right away!
Qiao Yuchan absorbed the last trace of Primordial Yang Power from the Spirit Pool, and as she opened her eyes, she saw Ling Fan's disappearing figure in the chamber, lightly biting her lip in thought.
She immediately stood up, stepped out of the Spirit Pool, and looked down at her graceful body, feeling a faint sense of loss and frustration rising in her heart!
"Could it be that I am not attractive to him at all?" Qiao Yuchan murmured softly.
After Ling Fan left the sleeping palace, the east was already tinged with the pale light of dawn, he had significantly advanced his Cultivation after a night of practice, the progress equating to what typically would take him half a month of arduous Cultivation!
Feeling very good, he remembered some information about the Qiao Family that he had learned from Qiao Yuchan the day before, and immediately headed toward the side palace of Lei Yao.
The side palace wasn't far from Qiao Yuchan's sleeping palace, and it did not take Ling Fan long to arrive at a secluded location.
He saw an extremely beautiful young girl practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, each move executed with serious dedication.
Ling Fan couldn't help but stop to watch, nodding sometimes and shaking his head at others.
The girl practicing swordsmanship had noticed the uninvited guest hiding on the side long ago but chose to ignore him, until she caught him nodding and shaking his head and felt immediately displeased.
She stopped her swordsmanship and said coldly to Ling Fan, "What do you mean by nodding and shaking your head like that?"
The sword practice girl was none other than Bei Rushuang, the disciple of Lei Yao. If she hadn't recognized that Ling Fan was the newly appointed Guest Official Protector by the Family Head, she would have lost her temper much sooner!
Ling Fan simply smiled, walked forward, and said, "Your swordsmanship is flawed, you're practicing it wrong!"
Bei Rushuang's face changed drastically, and she retorted defensively, "Don't think that just because you are the Guest Official Protector appointed by the Family Head, you can spout nonsense and slander others' Martial Arts Techniques!"
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Ling Fan was not annoyed, and simply chuckled lightly, nodding, "Consistency amidst change, a peaceful mind and still Qi! Emptiness and tranquility, the void of everything! Without mutual birth, hard to do successfully!"
Bei Rushuang's face turned pale again, "That's the essence of the Shenmen Thirteen Swords, how do you know this?"
Ling Fan smiled slightly, "How I know it isn't important, what's important is that you're practicing it incorrectly!"
Bei Rushuang was secretly shocked, "That's right, the Family Head must have told him. The Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts Techniques practiced by the Qiao Family's personal protectors are only known by the Family Head. I didn't expect that the Family Head told him about this too. It seems everyone has underestimated the relationship between this man and the Family Head!"
Indeed, the information about Bei Rushuang and Lei Yao's Martial Arts Techniques was provided by Qiao Yuchan to Ling Fan because these techniques are transmitted within the Qiao Family, and if all went as expected, Bei Rushuang was to be the personal protector to the next Head of the Qiao Family.
From the information he had learned from Qiao Yuchan yesterday, considering Lei Yao's talent for Cultivation, she should have been able to rival the three Chief Elders.
A Family Head's personal protector, falling short of the Elders below? That shouldn't be the case.
Therefore, his initial plan was to find out if the issue lied in the quality of their Cultivation Techniques, and to maybe help refine them. After some careful consideration, he found their technique to be quite good, but it had a few mistakes in its execution!
"Where am I practicing it wrong!" demanded Bei Rushuang, her face stern.
Since he put it that way, she decided to listen and see what he could explain!