Breakthrough

Xu Qi stepped back, knowing full well that it could be dangerous for him if he stood nearby during her breakthrough. The flood of primal elements could drown him and cause qi deviation. Only if one was of a higher realm would they be able to withstand the energy of someone breaking through.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, he nodded solemnly as his voice became laced with assurance. "I'll be watching over you.

With that, the training hall grew quiet as Ling Lian took a deep breath and sat in a lotus position in the middle.

Xu Qi watched as her qi swirled around her like a tornado, resonating with the primal elements being drawn from her surroundings.

Xu Qi watched her intently, ready to respond if she needed it – even if he knew he could only offer so much.

After what felt like the passing of a storm, Ling Lian let out a loud cry as the primal elements surged from the outside into this training hall joining the tornado of primal elements around her.

It didn't take long though.

Shortly later, as Xu Qi felt the intense pressure of a higher cultivation stage, Ling Lian who was hovering at the peak of the fifth stage Elemental Awakener Realm broke through to the sixth stage!

She finally passed the halfway mark of the first realm of this world's cultivation path! It was a milestone that denoted her bright future. The inner court was already waiting for her.

As the power of the wind grew more intense around her, Ling Lian began to levitate slightly, her luscious dark hair and sect robes billowing in the gale she had created.

Xu Qi couldn't help but be impressed. He had never seen someone breakthrough in such a dramatic fashion before. Or maybe it was because the old Xu Qi had always remained a recluse, afraid to meet the other disciples for fear of mockery.

Nonetheless, his thoughts were cut off as Xu Qi found himself reeling in both pain and exhilaration.

To his pleasant surprise, his body was also experiencing a change.

Somehow or the other, his progress in his cultivation path was also stimulated.

And through their spar where constantly used his abilities, he, too, bridged the final gap even without guiding the primal elements to his dantian.

The bottleneck disappeared as he ascended to the next stage with the assistance of the afterglow of Ling Lian's breakthrough.

Third stage Elemental Whisperer Realm!

In just a little more than a week, his progress became astounding!

A few minutes later, the two figures inside the training hall could be seen sitting cross-legged, stabilizing their foundation. The young woman was maintaining the resonance with the primal elements while the young man was continuously seducing them, filling up his newly expanded dantian.

Time quickly passed and soon hours had elapsed.

The blue sky and the bright sun outside had been replaced with the shiny moon and the countless twinkling stars amidst the purple canvas.

When they opened their eyes, they both looked at each other, breathless and sweaty.

The primal elements were dispersed as the air around them charged with the residual energy of their clash.

"You broke through as well?" While gasping for breath as she basked in the primal elements that filled the room, Ling Lian's gaze met Xu Qi's, her eyes wide with astonishment before turning into a pleasant grin. She's genuinely happy for him.

"Looks like it," Xu Qi replied with a smirk, his heart still racing from the intense spar and the effect of his breakthrough.

He felt the power surging through him, the third stage. And he believed his pace would only go quicker from here.

Ling Lian's cheeks reddened as she looked at him. "I... I can't believe it. You made the impossible possible."

"No. I cannot take credit for that. That was also from your own effort, Ling Lian," Xu Qi said, his voice filled with sincerity.

But Ling Lian couldn't focus on his words, the pleasure of the breakthrough was too intense. Her qi had never felt so alive and powerful, and she knew Xu Qi's whispers had played a huge part in it.

Meeting him and getting close to him after all these years became her fortune.

With the state of the room returning to calm, she closed in on him again, "The spar... what do you think is the result?"

Xu Qi smirked, "I guess you could say, I didn't pass out. Meaning, I won?"

Ling Lian rolled her eyes playfully but she didn't deny it, "So, you chose the path of being shameless. You could've said it's a draw."

"Draw? Dear Ling Lian, that's not within our agreement. It's either I pass out or not." Xu Qi teasingly grinned as he laid that out.

Ling Lian's face flushed a deeper shade of red, her mind trying its hardest to come up with a retort.

However, their banter was cut short by a sudden awkwardness that filled the air.

Ling Lian, seeing the space between them, crawled to his side. Her hand rested on his chest as she felt the rapid beating of his heart.

Her eyes searched his, and for a moment, it was as if the world around them had ceased to exist.

"Ling Lian. The promise," Xu Qi murmured, the tension in the room thickening as the memory of her earlier words hung between them.

Her cheeks which couldn't get any redder than they already were sizzled out a steam as Ling Lian looked away, "Oh, right. That."

Xu Qi clasped his lips thinking, 'Was she really going to go through with it?'

He was actually expecting her to back out as it was something special and shouldn't be decided by a simple bet.

However, he was proven wrong by the young woman herself.

Eventually, Ling Lian settled next to him, her head landing on his shoulder.

"Let's set aside that for now…" She started, "You have to remember, Xu Qi. The spar wasn't just for that… and something. I truly wanted to prepare you for the Test of Competence."

"Yes. You're right. And thanks to you, I now have a way to go," Xu Qi turned his face to her at the same time as she looked up.

Their eyes communicated with each other and reached a mutual agreement.

Without another word, Xu Qi leaned down and kissed her while Ling Lian accepted it wholeheartedly, her lips parting to welcome him.

It was a gentle kiss filled with the softness of the night breeze but it also contained the heat and tension that they were now releasing.

Xu Qi's arms wrapped around Ling Lian, pulling her close. He felt her qi swirl around them, a mix of the wind and his whispers.

As the kiss grew deeper and more passionate, their enhanced qis melded together. It was an intimate exchange that transcended the mere physical, a union of their very essences.

"Ling Lian..." Xu Qi's voice was a gentle caress in the aftermath of their kiss.

Her eyes searched his, looking for something unspoken. Then, her hands found their way around his neck, pulling him for another round.

"Don't hold back," Her whispering voice was like a soft command, pulling his strings.

"Mhm... I won't. I earned this, no?"

"You do. But that's tactless, Xu Qi. You don't have to say that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied with a mischievous smile, "Let's just say the realm wanted to reward us both."

"Now that's overly cheesy... Just kiss me and bring me to your quarters..."

Ling Lian's voice was a gentle breeze against his ear, sending his heart racing.

Xu Qi nodded, his hands sliding around her waist as he lifted her with ease, their bodies pressed together as he walked them out of the training hall.