Sitting on the bed in his room, Herman was buttoning up his shirt while putting on some light perfume. Even if getting dressed up at this point was quite redundant since in a couple of minutes he would have to undress again, it was only proper manners to ease the tension between them.
From what he heard from Wu Xinyan, she was also a maiden both in soul and body. Having focused on the sect and its growth ever since she founded it, there was no time for relationships, therefore the current situation. When the little minx Xinyan found out about dual cultivating, she immediately kicked up a fuss about how she wanted to do it as well, bringing up Yi Xuan as a package. Herman began heavily sweating and ran as fast as he could, while the girl cussed at him for being a coward from behind.

With the atmosphere as tense as it was, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous while laying on the bed in a lotus position. Calming his mind, he meditated for a bit, until the sound of footsteps reached his door. Seeing how reluctant Feng Qian was about knocking and understanding that she was probably more nervous than he was, he boldly decided to play the rogue.
He used Qi to open the door, stunning his former sect master that was left frozen with her right hand raised in a knocking posture. Using Primordial Qi to create a slight breeze, he used it to push her from behind into the room.

Obviously, it wouldn't have worked if she would've resisted, but fortunately, she didn't. Unlike her usual appearance, Qian was currently wearing a loose robe that covered a satin fabric, so thin that it was almost fully see-through. Her milky skin was visible to the naked eye, making Herman swallow hard. Seeing his reaction, a light blush followed by a charming smile appeared on her face as she climbed on top of the bed next to him.
Sitting face to face, she also took a similar lotus position and began meditating in order to adjust her mental state.

"Judging from the way things developed so far, the timeline from my past life was pushed forward by quite a bit. The balance between different continents crumbled with the appearance of the Earth's faction that was stronger than anyone else anticipated. The aggressive methods of the Peak alliance would also put pressure on others, meaning that Sublime, Astreus, and other alliances would soon follow suit and develop in a similar manner. As for myself... right now, the only thing I need is more power. With a high enough cultivation and powerful attributes, I can ensure my survival as well as carve a piece of sky for myself and others to live under."

Exhaling heavily, he opened his eyes and gazed at the beauty in front of him. She also opened her eyes and bashfully batted her eyelashes, drawing a smile from Herman. Extending his hands gently, he undid her robe and slowly took it off. He was careful not to touch her skin directly, as the ritual required a specific pace to be followed.
Next, Qian extended her small hands and undid the buttons of his shirt, allowing her nails to caress the skin on his chest with every movement. While she upped the tempo, Herman's fingers extended towards her shoulders, gently caressing downward on her arms. While doing so, Spiritual and Primordial Qi were continuously induced into her acupoints, further enhancing the reddish glow on her face.

This continued for a while, while Herman took his time in admiring the silvery-white lingerie Feng Qian was wearing underneath the satin fabric. Slightly impatient, he extended his hands to her waist and forcefully brought her closer. Sitting on his lap with their lips almost touching, the fragrance she emitted was craze-inducing. He slipped his hands under the material and slowly began unwrapping it, revealing her tender skin. At the same time, her legs wrapped around his lower back, while her lips were pressed on the right side of his neck.
Both pairs of hands were busy tracing lines on the back of the other person, while Qi was moving back and forth between them. This 'foreplay' ritual continued until suddenly, Herman's right hand stopped on her lower back while his left on her neck, forcing Qian to lay on the bed while facing the ceiling.

His fingers were moving up and down her neck, chest, and abdomen, then slowly descending on her legs, each time bringing a shiver about in Qian. When his lips found hers for the first time, the Qi exchanged through their intertwining tongues was done almost involuntarily. Seeing her response being so positive, he continued with gentle touches and careful caressing, while also undoing her bra. It didn't take long until both of them were fully naked and judging from the hurried breaths of both of them, neither could wait any longer.
Unsurprisingly, the moment the two of them were truly connected, the Qi of Heaven and Earth began flowing inside their bodies, while they lost themselves in pleasure. The circuit they created between their bodies was kept through body contact. The more skin surface they connected, the faster the Qi in their surroundings was devoured.

The whole process lasted until dawn, the first ray of light finding Feng Qian still in Herman's embrace. Both their gains were quite impressive, especially the clarity brought at the end. In the beginning, he was more concerned with Qian's pleasure and ensuring that she achieved as many orgasms as possible since he had a reputation to uphold, but once they changed positions and she was on top, enlightenment struck and many things were becoming much clearer.
This sort of back and forth continued until dawn, neither fully satisfied until they squeezed out the last drop of energy from the other's body, they finally laying powerless on the sheets.

Seeing how fast she fell asleep, he felt a bit proud, but even more so when he saw the Cultivation Base he gained after this session.

His smirk was even more apparent when he realized that he had enough to almost reach Soul Wandering III after his breakthrough. Not only that, but he also gained enlightenment regarding his soul avatar. Once he managed to climb through the film blocking him, his previously incorporeal form in the mind palace inside his body would become much more real.
Also, after managing that, he could use the Primordial Qi he gained and form a mass of 'earth' around the Golden Core in his body. That way, the world inside his mind palace could take its first step into existence.

There was still much to do, but he needed to meditate some more and then go outside and breakthrough. He had enough pills to assist him, yet the location couldn't be his Dwelling since the trial he would face this time would be at another level. Not only would he face a Soul and Mind Lightning Tribulation once more, but there would also be a Wind Tribulation where he would have to physically fight against demons and spirits.
The demons in the Wind Tribulation would try to rip him apart, while the spirits will try to take over his body and devour his soul. Their fighting strength was no joke either, all of them being at the beginning levels of the Soul Wandering realm. The only saving grace was the fact that their attributes were much lower than the cultivator attempting the breakthrough, being adjusted accordingly each time.

Sighing ruefully at his still incredibly busy future, he turned his attention to the naked beauty in his arms and fell asleep next to her.

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It was already late in the afternoon when I woke up due to movement on the bed next to me. Seeing how Feng Qian woke up, I also opened my eyes and found her staring at me. She didn't seem too bashful about being caught ogling and just smiled in exchange.

"I'd say 'good morning' but I'm afraid it's night already."

[It's fine.](Feng Qian)

"How are you feeling? How is your body?"

[Mhm. I'm alright! In fact, it's been a while since I've felt this refreshed and relaxed.](Feng Qian)

"Thinking about how stressed and frustrated she must've been in the past decades, no wonder. Glad she's not the easily embarrassed type. Though, this makes it feel somewhat... insufficient."

"That's good then. What about Cultivation Base?"

[Hmm... I think I'm going to be able to reach Ensoulment IV soon. I also caught a glimpse of some laws, but I need to meditate a bit before getting the real meaning behind them. You?](Feng Qian)

"More or less the same. I'm thinking of going out for a bit tomorrow and attempt my breakthrough in the Westmount territory."

[Mhm! That's a good idea. Be careful of your surroundings though.](Feng Qian)

"Mhm..."

"This... doesn't feel right. Why do I have the feeling of being used!? Isn't it me that benefited from... hmm... she got more Cultivation Base, probably a better comprehension of the laws, and not to mention enjoying herself quite a bit last night. Why do I feel that I grabbed the short end of the stick?"

Seeing her calmly get up and getting dressed, Herman felt somewhat at a loss, unable to speak and incapable of thinking properly. Turning around and seeing his awkward face, Qian giggled and sat down next to him.

[I said it before Herman. I am not interested in a relationship. Yes, besides dual cultivation, last night was quite pleasant but that was that. I might be interested in redoing it in the future, but only if there are no feelings involved. I plan to focus on my cultivation and reaching as high as I possibly can, therefore such trivial things as feelings would only be in the way. I hope you understand.](Feng Qian)

"Mhm..."

The only thing he could do was to dumbly nod his head in approval, feeling as if he was rejected even if he didn't propose. It was a really strange feeling, but he didn't disagree with her point of view. Quite on the contrary, a relationship like that where each of them takes what they want would be much more pleasant than one burdened by feelings. It's not like he disliked Xue and Wen'an, but he hoped they won't be too clingy.

Having them be as cold as Qian would be a problem as well. This was why relationships are always messy and complicated.

[Good! I'll look for you when it's the case. As for the usual activities, let's try and be as less awkward as possible with each other.](Feng Qian)

"Heh! Don't worry about that. When are you planning to undergo your tribulations?"

[Hmm... I think I should consolidate a bit first. I'm planning to use the Cultivation Room in our sect for a couple of days.](Feng Qian)

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Must be fun to be the sect leader and abuse your authority like that."

[Hey! What do you mean? I'm only reinforcing the sect, by reinforcing my own strength.](Feng Qian)

"Damn! And they call me shameless!!!"

Soon, the sound of laughter filled the room, and the quiet halls of the pavilion. He was happy to see the awkward tension go away and even more pleased to see how close he got to Qian. If before she was something of an older sister figure, or maybe a mentor, now she was a friend he could converse relaxedly with.
They left the room when they both realize how famished they were and headed quickly for the kitchen where Herman 'fixed' some sandwiches which were way too overpraised in Feng Qian's honest opinion.

A couple of hours later they both went their separate ways, with Herman leaving for Westmount, while Qian heading for her sect. Unable to find any traces of Xu Wen'an or Tianxia Xue, he realized that they must've left for training or cultivation, but was quite surprised not to find Celeste anywhere nearby. Even more so, she didn't peek while he was dual cultivating either, making him quite suspicious. After all, that woman was nothing but trouble and he wouldn't believe that she suddenly decided to mend her ways.
Leaving a note on the table in the living room about his whereabouts he made haste, unwilling to waste the remainder of the day. The thoughts about having his avatar do all the running around and exploring were very tempting.

Hours later he found himself a nice quiet spot near a river, between a forest and some plains, while keeping the huge mountain in his peripheric view. Deciding on this spot he released a bit of his aura and unshackled the cultivation he stopped at Golden Core X, preparing for the breakthrough.
Starting from the Soul Wandering realm, tribulations were slightly different and much more unforgiving. Once one's body is covered in the aura of tribulations, the heavens paint a target on that person's back, as well as almost an entire kilometer worth of his surroundings. That's why, as soon as Herman released his cultivation, a terrifying aura of the Heavens descended on him and his surroundings, forcing every critter, small animal, beasts, and cultivators around to flee far from this location.

"The upside is that I don't have to worry about being backstabbed. There's no person dumb enough to enter the tribulation area and all other creatures driven by their instinct even less so. All that's needed now is to begin my preparations."

Unlike the realms before, this tribulation trial is much more savage forcing even Herman to be more serious about it. Not to mention how materializing his soul is of utmost importance for his future. If the core quality that he condensed reached one of the highest grades, the soul condensation was equally, if not, even more important.
In order to do that, he literally had to meditate while being struck by lightning. This time at least, the lightning would only affect his physical body instead of the soul, else he would stand no chance.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he drifted away in meditation under the sound of the flowing river. As soon as that happened, dark clouds began forming above him, while thunder echoed throughout the forest and plains nearby.
He couldn't hear it though, as he moved his concentration fully on his mind palace. With over 20K in Vitality and Strength, he should be able to endure the level of destruction this Soul Wandering tribulation lightning would bring with ease.

Looking around his spiritual world with his consciousness, he found that the Diamond Core he condensed got even bigger, not sitting in the middle of this imaginary space at the size of a basketball. The light shining from it was very pure as well, signifying how well refined it is.

"Well... at least all those Beast Pills weren't wasted. Especially the Beast Gold Cores."

Looking at the almost corporeal shadow behind the core, one could see its vague body lines. This meant that it would be quite easy to further refine and materialize it into an avatar, if not for those snake-like pupils that seemed to focus on Herman's consciousness. After the last conversation he had with the snake though, there was nothing to worry about and he simply proceeded with the first step.

Now that his Qi Gathering Array reached Level 65, the amount of Spiritual Qi would be more than sufficient. However, he wasn't planning to use only Spiritual Qi, but Primordial Qi as well. Therefore, he also began drawing in more Qi from the surroundings, preparing to mold his avatar into a much better version.

"According to Xiao MoXian, if you combine and intertwine Spiritual and Primordial Qi together, the strength of the avatar would become much more apparent. Instead of only 50% of the real body's attributes, it would have 75%. Not only that, but the main body would also keep the same 75% of its attributes while the avatar is out."

An avatar was a strange thing. It was literally a physical manifestation of the soul and usually one would only apply Spiritual Qi when creating it. After the finishing touches were done, one could allow the soul to get out of one's body and absorb Qi from its surroundings in order to obtain and maintain a physical form. Because of that, it can only receive 50% of the main body's attributes, while the main body would also suffer from a backlash and have his/her attributes halved until the two combines once more.

Yet, through the method Xiao MoXian from the Sublime clan shared with the newbies, if you were to add Primordial Qi in the creation of the avatar before and during the tribulations you would improve the avatar's overall strength by an entire rank. Furthermore, feeding the avatar Qi that was refined by the main body would only serve to further increase the symbiotic relationship between the two.

The process wasn't that complicated, as you literally had to pour Qi into the shadowy form in your mind palace and fill in the boundaries just like in kindergarten art class. It took about three hours until the process was finished, meaning that Herman endured only half an hour of the lightning shower in real life.
Now that the fueling process was done, the shadow began pulling and stretching, beginning to form itself. Herman couldn't intervene in this process as the final form this avatar has would depend on his imagination mostly. Turning his head to the Diamond Core that was already spinning at an incredibly fast pace, he started madly sucking in Primordial Qi.

It felt as if a dam broke and allowed Qi to flood in at an incredibly fast pace, yet all of it was flowing towards the core, enveloping it. The flood continued for more than six hours until Qi became faintly corporeal, then it became a fog, then water, and finally, it became fully physical. Now, the core couldn't be seen anymore, hidden under a thick blanket of Primordial Qi. A pair of hands reached out suddenly and started compressing the Qi further, yet Herman wasn't flustered by the sudden appearance.
His soul condensation was completed a while back, and his avatar just stood back and watched over the Qi absorption process. Now that it started lending a hand (or two in this case), Herman could finally see how it looked like. Much to his surprise, it was almost a carbon copy of himself, were it not for the snake-like eyes that somehow remained.

"If it's based on my psyche and imagination, did I wish in my subconscious that I could have that pair of eyes? It does look pretty good on me though..."

Shaking away the useless thoughts, another refining session began, when coupled with the previous work lasting a bit over six hours in the real world. Finally, Herman woke up from his meditation and found out with a bitter smile that the entire space in his surroundings was charred black due to lightning blanketing every blade of grass.
After six hours of being washed by lightning, his clothes were majorly burned, but the body was (as expected) barely damaged at all. On the contrary, it looked as if with some extra lightning strikes he might even achieve a breakthrough to the next bodily refinement level.

Unfortunately, the lightning stopped, yet the dark clouds remained. Now, it was time for the real tribulation to begin!