The feeling of waking up on the lap of the unreasonable yet beautiful woman, smelling her fragrance, and feeling her touch... was nowhere to be found. Instead, rocks were scraping against his back and a horrifying smell of ash was assaulting his nostrils... the recently burnt type.

"It couldn't be that she actually wants to burn me alive, right!? F*ck! I took this joking around with her a bit too far!"

Luckily for him, when he opened his eyes there was no fire around him. There was, however, a big pail of water heading his way thrown just now. How did he know that it was just thrown? Because Yi Xuan was holding its previous container in her hands, surprised to see him awake and caught in the act. The freezing-cold water put a forced stop to whatever he was thinking about and ash from around him merged in it, covering his entire body.

He remained calm and looked at the perpetrator with unperturbed, inquiring eyes. The guilty offender was avoiding his gaze, while hiding the wooden pail behind her small back, making it quite the amusing sight. Even given the current circumstances...

"How long have I been out?"

[About five hours. Is your body fully healed?](Yi Xuan)

"Most likely. What is this place?"

[This is the Lunar Lake Valley. This place has the most concentrated convergence of Primordial Qi in the entire mountain range. You're lucky that sister Qian allowed you here since usually only executive-level sect members are allowed.](Yi Xuan)

"I see... is the bathing in ash one of the requirements? I would love to see you following through the ritual as well."

[*Cough**Cough*. Your clothes were full of blood and quite pungent, so I tried helping you wash it off...](Yi Xuan)

Hearing the reply Herman almost fainted again. Looking around, there was only green lush everywhere and the lake in question nearby. The only place that had stones around and in it, was the campfire used for warmth and probably cooking. He knew she wasn't fond of him, but this was a bit over the edge...

"Seems like we need to talk before proceeding with the 'guidance'."

[There's nothing to talk about. I don't like you and I want you out of our sect. Unfortunately, since the sect master asked me to help you with the spiritual guidance for your first Primordial Qi circulation, you can rest assured. I will help, but there's no point in getting friendly. Just wanted to get that point across.](Yi Xuan)

"And get a little revenge. Petty, but I am not bothered by it. Before we start, I need to take a bath and change my clothes if you don't mind."

[You can wash in the lake.](Yi Xuan)

Herman considered undressing in front of her for a second but decided against it given that there were just two of them there. If he pushed the wrong buttons, he would die and be dumped at the bottom of the said lake. Anyway, he just arrived and to gain someone's trust was not necessarily an easy thing. More than words, actions were required to prove one's intentions.

He reached the lake and surprisingly, the water was warm. He almost swore when he realized that miss Custodian used her Qi to make the water icy, but calmed down and took out a backpack from his Inventory. He only brought that with him from Earth, since he could find, buy, or be provided everything else.

"Still, shampoo and shower gel from Earth are better than the ones in the Immortal World. The clothes are the problem... System, bring out the available outfits interface."

Acknowledged!

Currently available for free is the Immortal Search outfit.

More options are available, however, the user doesn't meet the conditions for equipping them.

"Well, at least that didn't change. There should be some that I can buy with SJ, but I don't meet the cultivation realm requirement for them."

The Immortal World was like that. Even one's outfits would represent something. For example, the Immortal Search outfit that the System 'gave out' for free. That was something provided by the Neutral Faction that the old fart Clear Lake was part of. By wearing it, you would automatically be recognized as one of its members and there will be strings attached to this position in the near future. There was no free lunch in this world and Herman wanted to buy a different outfit from the System, but didn't.

It happened because of two reasons: one, the System denied his request, and two, he was planning to save his SJ and use them when events would start.

"Leave it to a greedy thing like the System to create an event where spending SJ would be rewarded with SJ..."

The 'events' were the main way of acquiring resources after ascending to the Heavenly Realm. An event was a competition of sorts between ascenders, being held quite often, all in order to fasten the growth spurt of the geniuses participating. These competitions were decided on by the ones that sealed the said realm before and the System itself. While the competition was fierce, the rewards were aplenty as well. Leaving aside the usual resources for which you would have to toil and risk your life to fight for, the servant tokens were the most sought after reward.

Among the many servants available in the Immortal World, there were few with potential recognized as Gold by the System. Among them, however, three bloodlines that one could gain by participating in these events were the dream of every cultivator.

"There were the Netherworld Factions, the Heaven Palace Group, and the Journey to the West Servants. As for the names... each recruit belonging to a different world would recognize them with different names, courtesy of the prankster System."

To emphasize how strong these bloodlines were, the System gave them names that the users could easily recognize. In the case of Earth, due to China having the largest population, plus by far, the richest history and lore, it decided on using some Chinese legends to represent these three servant groups. The Netherworld with its King Yama or better put the Hell Faction with its main devils, the Heaven Palace Group which were the angels guarding the mortal world, and finally the Journey to the West Servants, which were the adventurer group any cultivator would resonate easily with.

Three groups with heavy lore behind them and each group held four different servants, belonging to the specific territory they could be claimed from.

"Anyway, that's too far in the future to worry about. The main thing is to save SJ and other resources as much as possible for these events. Ugh... I can't remember the order in which the events started before, nor will it make a difference given that it's a new realm entirely..."

Herman kept washing the blood and ash from his body while trying hard to remember if there was any sequence of sorts to them, or if the System just started them whenever it wished so that more SJ can be stolen from the unaware participants. Or that might just be Herman's bias against the System, as he was a poor bloke in his past life. One way or another, he had much work ahead of him...

With his new clothes on him, he finally looked more... cultivatorish. The outfit had a simple pair of black boots, a pair of pants, and a shirt of the same color on the inside, while an outer white robe with golden engravings was donned over them. A matching belt around his waist was holding a green jade serpent eating its tail, reminding Herman of an interesting legend, while on his arms two soft armguards were equipped more for their looks, rather than the armor they provided. In his past life, he joined a chaotic faction, therefore he wasn't granted an outfit like this one, so he was scammed out of his Spirit Stones after the clothes he had with him became too torn to be worn ever again.

"It truly seems like a new life, instead of reliving the old one..."

[Are you done already? How long do you plan to make me wait? I don't want the morning dew on my dress...](Yi Xuan)

There were many points to refute in that phrase, like for example how it wasn't even night and she was complaining about morning dew, or that not even 15 minutes haven't passed since he started bathing, yet Herman decided to keep quiet and get this whole thing over with.

"I am."

[Hmm... the outfit looks okay, so at least you know how to properly wear clothes. Let's begin!](Yi Xuan)

"*Sigh* Miss Xuan should know that it's not possible to just start out of nowhere. If you need to guide me, you need to have at least a level of basic trust in me and I need to hold the same type of feeling for you. From the looks of it, we're not at that level just yet and I don't want you to experience a Qi deviation because of me."

[I see... you're right. What do you propose we do instead? It was sister Qian's order, so I must complete it...](Yi Xuan)

Looking behind the woman, he saw two rabbits freshly hunted. She must've done that while he was still unconscious and healing, so she wasn't exactly a bad egg. She shouldn't have hunted both for herself, therefore, one is most likely for him. They say that the fastest way to a man's heart it's trough his stomach... maybe the same would be applied to a woman.

"Let's talk first. I'll start the fire and cook something since you've already hunted. Trust is built after knowing someone, so you can ask me whatever you want to know while we are eating."

[You know how to cook? The ingredients in the Immortal World are different from primordial ones that lack Qi...](Yi Xuan)

"No worries. I have studied a bit..."

While that wasn't a lie, it wasn't the truth either. He did study in his past life, quite a lot, but it was only through trial and error. Most of the time he traveled alone throughout the endless realms of the Immortal World, unaccompanied and always discovering new ingredients. Food was probably the only solace he found beside the hate he had for the food he killed. Why hate? Because most of his prey also tried to eat him...

The plains were quiet and the sounds made by the waves crashing were relaxing. The woman kept quiet as Herman started skinning the two rabbits and took out a pouch full of spices. He smiled and continued his work, while the fire was stoaked. About an hour later, a stew was prepared and the unreasonable lady was, even if unwilling to admit, impressed by the delicious smell inundating her senses.

"It seems to be ready. Do you have two bowls?"

[Yes... Here.](Yi Xuan)

The food was served and they ate quietly, even if Herman noticed a smile of delight on the woman's lips. While they enjoyed the stew, the sun hid behind the mountains and the moon took its place. Even if he hasn't cultivated in this body before, he was sensitive to the changes in Primordial Qi happening around him. There were many types of Qi, that would be generated through different environments, or become apparent only in specific circumstances. For example, during the day, Yang Primordial Qi would be stronger therefore a cultivator focusing on Fire attributed skills would learn the said skills easier during the day, instead of nighttime.

What Herman was feeling right now, was the Qi in the entire valley converging into Yin Primordial Qi as soon as the day ended and night took its place. This was a natural hotspot for Yin Primordial Qi, perfect for Water attributed cultivators.

[It seems you noticed. You're full of surprises...](Yi Xuan)

"Careful miss Custodian! That sounded dangerously close to a compliment."

[That's because it was. Not every cultivator can be this sensitive towards Qi, much less one that hasn't started cultivating yet. What sort of Spiritual Roots do you have?](Yi Xuan)

"Supreme."

[Oh!? Amazing! How come? Wasn't the world you came from a primordial one?](Yi Xuan)

Seeing her interest piqued, Herman recounted the way through which he cast his Supreme Spiritual Roots while omitting some details that others might deem... ahem... looney. This way, a conversation began with actual back and forth sentences being used among the two. With her more relaxed, Herman decided to push a bit stronger.

"What's your dream miss Custodian?"

[You can call me by my name.](Yi Xuan)

"Very well. Miss Yi, what's your goal in life?"

[I want to see our sect become a Tier 5 Earth Rank sect.](Yi Xuan)

"*Chuckle* I asked for your personal goal miss Yi, not the hopes you have for your sect."

[That's my dream, believe it or not.](Yi Xuan)

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

[What about you then? What's your goal?](Yi Xuan)

"My goal, huh? For now, to keep the promise I boasted about in front of you and the others back at the sect."

[The whole Nascent Soul in less than three hundred years thing? If you have Supreme Spiritual Roots, that might not be as hard as I originally thought. But you are also lying. That's not your 'dream' either, is it?](Yi Xuan)

"Interesting choice of words you have there... But no, my dream is different. I want... I want to climb as high as I can on this cultivation path. I want to see sights that I wouldn't be able to normally and more than everything, I want the strength to protect myself."

[*Giggle* Aren't you supposed to say that you want strength to protect the ones you care about? What kind of man are you?](Yi Xuan)

"An honest one. If I cannot even protect myself, what's the point of hoping to protect others that are stronger than me..."

Seeing his serious look and hearing the last words that were malevolently misleading, coupled with him looking her straight in the eyes, the Custodian of the Valley of the Fallen Blossoms fell in a daze. Seconds later she looked towards the sky and sighed ruefully.

[I guess we're not that different, you and I.](Yi Xuan)

"Not really. Every cultivator's dream is to keep climbing as high as they can. Some are fortunate to do so, exhausting their potential in the process, while others don't live long enough to see their potential achieved. Such is life..."

[You speak as if you'd seen this happen before. Haven't you just arrived here?](Yi Xuan)

"With our without Qi, life and human nature are the same everywhere. Other races are the same, for as long as a being holds emotions, they become slaves to them, no matter the cultivation level they reached."

[I guess so...](Yi Xuan)

The conversation continued with small nothings and simple questions that led Yi Xuan to ask him the questions he wanted while avoiding those that would become difficult to answer. That way, it was almost midnight when she got up, walked two steps closer to him, and sat down.

She was obviously embarrassed, but not only did they need to be in the proximity of each other for this to work, but physical contact was also required.

[We should start soon, or we'll miss the best time to cultivate here. Do you know what to do?](Yi Xuan)

"Follow your lead?"

[Mhm! Just concentrate on the way I circulate my Qi and follow the same routine. I need to inject some of my own Qi into your circulation pathways for this to work, so I need to hold both of your hands...](Yi Xuan)

"I understand. Anything else I should do?"

[Close your eyes and concentrate.](Yi Xuan)

Herman was certain that the last part wasn't needed and she added it just for him not to see her getting embarrassed. Holding a man's hands wasn't something she had ever done before and her imagination was running wild for certain. It was hard to say which one of them needed to concentrate, but he agreed that her bodily scent and the touch of her fingers were quite distracting.

[I... I will start injecting Primordial Qi now... Uhm... Just try to keep track of the path it's following.](Yi Xuan)

"I see. Please, go ahead!"

The moment Qi began being sent out of Yi Xuan's body into Herman's, he felt snake-like small tendrils reaching out from his fingers and extending towards the rest of his body, searching for acupoints. Soon, every primary or hidden acupoint was discovered and the complicated maze-like connection between the meridians has been evaluated as well.

With one eye open, he saw the amazement of his counterpart and smirked. She was probably surprised that he already connected the small and the big circulation pathways with the Dantian point. Usually, when one receives guidance to start cultivating, that is the first step the newbie has to take.

[Amazing! You weren't lying when you said that you connected the two circulation pathways. This will make things easier. All you need to do now is circulate the Qi I injected through every acupoint and force it into a rotation. After doing that many times, your body will be able to keep that rotation going even while you're asleep, but you will probably need to reach the Foundation realm first. Here, use the Qi I injected in you and backtrack it to see my circulation. Just focus on the stream and go against it, instead of following its flow.](Yi Xuan)

Herman kept quiet as he was already doing that, the moment she gave her approval. He couldn't see it this time, but instead of amazement this time she was scared silent. It usually takes half an hour for even a genius to swim upstream the Primordial Qi river she fed the newbie to reach the first acupoint, yet this monster was already exploring her Major circulation, with no signs of stopping.

Instead of being proud though, he was conflicted. To each person, the route Primordial Qi would take upon entering the body would be different. Each person was unique and with so many acupoints and channels among each one of them, to manually draw the path you wanted them to take would also be unique to each cultivator. Unknowingly to them, upon drawing the said pathway, an image would form.

"It's like drawing on a piece of paper using a crayon. The lines would eventually connect, giving insight to a cultivator's personality, aspirations, and most intimate hopes. As expected from a genius as herself... her dream is nothing to scoff at."

Usually, depending on their potential, talent, and the strength with which they believe in themselves, the picture they draw using the connection channels between acupoints would be clear or blurry. In exceptional cases, while Qi would be moving among the network, the images would appear as if they are moving due to the movement of the Qi. Herman was appreciating the exquisite painting of a tall mountain reaching the heavens and the clouds moving freely based on the direction the wind was blowing from.

They weren't different from each other, she was right about that... A mountain so tall that its peak couldn't be seen, representing her desire to climb higher on her cultivation path and the freely floating clouds representing her desire to be unshackled and unfettered, able to travel as she wishes.

There were some obstructions and the Qi circulation was erratic, a sign that she reached a bottleneck. Once she passed it, she would probably take another step forward towards the Ensoulment realm.

"As for me... I already know which image to draw. It was the same in my past life and it's still the same now. It might be presumptuous of me, but I can pretend to not be aware of it while helping her with the bottleneck she reached."

There were two ways of breaking through. One was through steady and cumulative work, while the second one was more forceful. Simply put, if you flood the point where the congestion is with so much Qi that the circulation pathways overload, you can force a breakthrough.

This time, in order to do so, he had to do something improper towards such a pure lady: dual-cultivation!

"Well... it's not exactly dual cultivation since we aren't naked and having s*x, but I would still use her Primordial Qi pathways to enhance the absorption on behalf of the two of us... If I play the idiot at the end, she shouldn't notice that it was done intentionally."

With that in mind, Herman allowed the Primordial Qi between the two of them to flow through the same pathways as in his previous life, forming a terrifyingly clear image. In doing so, the speed with which Yi Xuan was drawing Qi from the outside world increased steadily...

10%... 25%... 50%... 100%... soon enough, in a matter of minutes, she was surprised to find out how her cultivation speed increased four-fold and her cultivation was showing signs of an imminent breakthrough.

Above the two, a whirlpool formed and its speed was so high, that the sound it made was audible from far away.