I’m Still A Woman
All was silent at night except for the buzzing insects and the constant pour of warm water.
There was a light sheen of steam in the bathtub while aromatic flowers and herbs drifted on the water, creating a dreamy scape under the silver moonlight.
Through the mist of the water, long black hair spread around vaguely like an onyx waterfall.
Lingzhou Yue rested against the side of the bathtub with her slender arm holding onto the bamboo wine.
Xiao Ran's extraordinary performance had captured her attention.
Initially, she had hoped that Xiao Ran would never cultivate, but it would be a big regret if someone as penetrative as he was could not cultivate for life.
Filial devotion was precious, but what Lingzhou Yue valued more was the enlightenment of Xiao Ran when it came to the construction skill, which outshined her skill by far.
As a result, she decided that she would prolong his longevity to the best of her ability even if Xiao Ran failed to cultivate all his life. He was sensible and filial. His looks were a plus too.
A gem-like disciple like this was rare. She needed to protect him well.
As someone so powerful, however, Lingzhou Yue was not too concerned about it.
Her disciple was truly a treasure. Even if he could not cultivate, she had figured out how to prolong his life.
Her gaze met her reflection on the water, a clean self that she had not seen in a long time, through the blanket of fog.
'I'm still a woman, huh…'
Lingzhou Yue thought before she shook her head and raised her arm to guzzle more wine. The murky fake wine looked like rain as it flowed down the fair mountains and along the cliff into the steaming ocean.
…
The moonlight was gentle to the aged pine tree beside the cliff. The soft breeze that blew felt like it could make a ripple in the gleam of the shadow cast by the moon.
Xiao Ran sat in a lotus position on a thick root of the pine and did breathing exercises, meditating with a calm mind and pretending that he was cultivating.
Truth be told, he was waiting for his points. His points came from his master finally…
"Congratulations, you've earned 12 Devotion Points!"
"Congratulations, you've earned 8 Devotion Points!"
"Congratulations, you've earned 5 Devotion Points!"
"Congratulations…"
Yes! Xiao Ran did not know what the corresponding DP for a particular devotion act was, but he made a lot this time!
Upon calculating, he realized he had an additional 30 DP. He gazed back at the disciple house, and it was as if he could see the overflowing DP coming from his master through the wall.
His master was great!
Next, Xiao Ran needed to sort out some things.
Using the blood-dripping buckle Lin Yunzi had given him, he took the sword he was allocated from the interspatial ring as well as his spare disciple uniform and put them in the system storage space.
To a transmigrated traveler, the system was the safest location.
System interface:
"Host: Xiao Ran."
"Cultivation Base: Mortal."
"Master: Lingzhou Yue."
"Devotion Points: 34."
"Skills: Maximum Level Construction."
"Items: Spirit Stone x7, interspatial ring x1, sword x1, Zongzhi Mountain disciple uniform x1, Break Buckle x1, paper kite talisman x8, Incomplete Myriad Resonance x1."
"Store: Accessible through concentration."
Now that he had accumulated 34 DP, Xiao Ran could purchase the Resonance cultivation method boldly. Holding the incomplete mental cultivation method in his hand, he triggered the purchasing notification.
"Heaven-Tier mental cultivation method Incomplete Myriad Resonance detected. This mental cultivation method is still sealed in the store, but you can learn it (its mortal level) with 10 DP since you have the original incomplete item. Do you want to purchase it?"
He remembered that there had been no option for purchase in the notification last time. Xiao Ran thought that it must have appeared after the system had determined that he had sufficient DP.
It was like going to a mall. You had to dress up like a rich man before the salesperson would take the initiative to ask if you wanted to buy anything.
What a realistic system.
'Hah, I'm a devotion maniac. I don't lack money!'
'Purchase.'
"Congratulations, you've obtained the Heaven-Tier mental cultivation method Myriad Resonance!"
There was a buzz in Xiao Ran's head before it got upgraded. It only lasted for a moment, but his mind felt as clear as the starry sky.
It was like he had disintegrated on the spot and turned into a ray of spiritual energy that melted into heaven and earth, the way of Dao, and nature… He had gone inside everything and listened to their 'voices'.
He heard slow flowing water, soft crackling insects, a swooshing old pine tree, the silence of the rocks, a wafting mist, some flying cranes… The sounds were incredibly soft, but the spiritual frequency of the sounds everything was making could be clearly seen.
For a moment, Xiao Ran even heard his master, who was having a bath, thinking about him.
'She must have been moved to tears by my filial devotion!' Xiao Ran thought.
Soon enough, he realized that she had fallen asleep while soaking in the tub. He did not plan to wake her up, however.
When she was all pruned from the bath at the crack of dawn, she would have to ask him to massage her. That would be another wave of DP he could get his hands on! He was such a devoted disciple!
It was unknown whether it was due to the excitement of joining a sect for the first day, the overflowing spiritual energy that reinvigorated one, the thrill of reaping DP off his master, or the clarity Myriad Resonance had brought him… but Xiao Ran was not tired at the moment.
Yes, he was thrumming with energy!
He suddenly realized that it was not just the mental cultivation method that was clear. His meridians and acupoints seemed to feel much smoother, and his physique had become stronger, making him feel like he had Body Tempering strength…
He was a player of mental cultivation indeed. Others had to swallow pills and meditate before they could rise by one level, while Xiao Ran improved by leaps and bounds when he was enlightened by the Dao.
Nonetheless, a mental cultivation method was nothing more than that. It had to blend with a cultivation method and produce a familiar set of techniques to equip one with combat power.
Xiao Ran decided that he would practice physical martial arts.
He tested hand techniques first, but it was not like he knew any. He gripped his fist tightly and stood by the cliff, throwing a punch down directly at the clouds under the moon.
The assault looked normal yet it was like a stone thrown into a lake. It created ripples in the air.
Boom!
The force of Xiao Ran's punch resonated with the air and expanded. The force accelerated and quickly resonated with the spiritual energy of the blanket of clouds.
Boom!
The force of his punch accelerated again and resonated with space itself…
Boom!
Three explosions were heard as the force of Xiao Ran's punch became immensely powerful and quick as lightning after three enhancements.
It actually traveled over 300 meters and made a pit in the clouds that did not close up even after a long time…
Xiao Ran then understood that he did not need to practice.
The Myriad Resonance included divine sense. Once he grasped the mental cultivation method, everything else would make sense and fall into place. Even how he had used his strength was based on his accurate muscles and bone resonance!
Why else would he need to practice?
Furthermore, this was only a mortal's strength level. Imagine what would happen when he got to the Qi Refining stage!
Xiao Ran tried using his palm strikes.
With three loud claps, he managed to dissipate the thick cloud with the strikes.
It was obvious that the penetration of his palm strikes was not as good as his punch, but the concussive shock was much higher.
He then tested out his swordsmanship.
While he was waving his sword, it produced three sword cries, one shriller than the last, and the final one was as piercing and far-reaching as the cry of a crane.
He was able to cut the farthest with the sword.
Ultimately, Xiao Ran put his footwork to the test.
His feet, which were on the ground, connected with the mountain as a light quake took place. Stepping in the air, he resonated with the air. Although he could not fly, he was able to leap dozens of meters high. Xiao Ran could even walk in the wind as though he had practiced Qinggong, taking fast steps while hovering.
If he carried a wireless speaker with him for a sound effect, he would become
Xiao Ran gasped loudly. His strength had come too swiftly and suddenly. It was unreal!
According to the combat power theory he knew, his current strength had already exceeded the peak of Body Tempering. He was indomitable before the Qi Refining stage.
If he was able to use it with familiarity, he might even be able to last for a few exchanges if he met a Qi Refining cultivator.
The Heaven-Tier mental cultivation method was terrifying!
Xiao Ran thought that it would have cost an obscene amount if his master had not given him the incomplete item.
When he wrapped up his practice, Xiao Ran reeked of sweat. He wanted to take a bath, but his master was occupying the bathtub.
As he was thinking out of the box, the joints in his body jolted and his sweat actually evaporated through the vibration… This worked too.
Xiao Ran returned to the house quietly and washed his dirty clothes, drying them on the balcony. After changing into clean spare clothes, he went to sleep on his large eight-square-meter bed.
Using his arm as a pillow, he sighed. 'It's been three years. I've finally started to enjoy what it's like to be a transmigrator!'
Both Xiao Ran and Lingzhou Yue slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, when Xiao Ran woke up, he realized that his master was already up and doing morning cultivation on the pine root. How hardworking she was!
The routine of Lingzhou Yue's morning cultivation consisted of drinking wine and stretching lazily. She also recited a line: "Today's another day without anything to do."
Xiao Ran was shocked.
Upon looking closely, he saw that his master was radiant and spirited. Her skin was as smooth and shiny as jade, glowing in its fairness. There was no sign of any pruning.
What kind of crazy physique did she have?
He wanted to call her a fairy, but she had to pee at night.
He wanted to call her a mortal, but she did not get wrinkly, pruned skin after a long bath.
An immortal could not be regarded in a logical manner!
After her night bath, Lingzhou Yue felt thoroughly refreshed. She was in a great mood when she saw Xiao Ran and waved at him. "You, come and massage my neck. Your bathtub's design is a bit poor. I got a crick in my neck after sleeping there."
'What the heck! Is a bathtub a place for you to sleep in?'
Still, Xiao Ran went over obediently since he could get some DP out of it.
This time, it took him nearly an hour of massaging his master's neck before he received his first DP.
"Congratulations, you've earned 1 Devotion Point!"
Given how things were moving along, Xiao Ran guessed that he would not get more than three DP even if he massaged his master thoroughly today.
It was not worth it.
From the looks of it, his decision to build a house yesterday had been the right thing to do. Otherwise, he would not even have been able to collect 10 DP today.
Xiao Ran reached a conclusion about the system's pattern too.
The same act of devotion could earn him DP repeatedly, but the deterioration was severe. He probably would not be able to reap anything after three times maximum.
What if he spiced things up a bit?
With that thought in mind, Xiao Ran thought out of the box again. He summoned the force of resonance with his hands and pressed them down on his master's fair neck.