Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

As the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, the sky quickly darkened.

Old Turtle then slowly lifted the fishing rod, flicked his wrist, and the fishing line precisely wrapped around Hu Qing and Gu Yang, who were still struggling at the edge of the mud.

They were pulled out of the sticky mud like two huge loaches.

After swirling around twice in the air, shedding most of the heavy mud, the old turtle unceremoniously released the string.

The two of them were thrown into the clear but icy pool of water next to them with two "plop" sounds.

The icy water instantly made the two shiver, but what followed was the exhilarating feeling of their spiritual energy, which had been suppressed by the mud for a long time, finally flowing smoothly again.

They barely managed to keep their utterly exhausted bodies afloat on the water.

Looking up at the sky, which had turned dark blue and was dotted with a few early stars, I didn't want to move a single finger, and I was even too exhausted to speak.

Just now, they were really only a few steps away from escaping that quagmire of despair.

Just as the clear water upstream was right in front of them, the old turtle was so cunning that it released two black iron logs at once!

They fought with all their might and worked in perfect coordination, barely managing to knock the first one away, just as their old strength was exhausted and their new strength had not yet been generated.

The second log came crashing down like a ghost, inevitably slamming them back into the depths of the mud, ruining their mission.

The mud not only restricted their movement, but also acted like shackles, blocking the flow of spiritual energy within their meridians.

The specially made logs were further restricted by the old tortoise, making it impossible to resist with spiritual power. It was a pure test of their physical strength, willpower, and reaction.

On the other side, Xiao Zi finally finished her ordeal for the day.

He dragged the motionless meteorite iron from outer space, staggered to the old tortoise's bamboo chair, placed the stone on the ground with a clatter, and then, as if all his strength had been drained, drooped his little head.

The old tortoise glanced at the still gleaming, unblemished meteorite, frowned, and lightly tapped Little Purple on the head with its claw, scolding:

"How come you didn't even leave a mark after a whole day? Weren't you quite impressive yesterday when you secretly used Dragon Qi?"

Xiao Zi, clutching her heavy and aching body, plunged into the pool without a word.

He sank down first, but quickly rose to the surface again by buoyancy, weakly paddling with his limbs, and squeezed between Hu Qing and Gu Yang.

The three of them floated side by side on the water, their eyes vacant, gazing blankly at the deepening night sky.

They let the cold pool water support their exhausted bodies, swaying gently with the tiny ripples, like three soulless floating corpses.

Seeing Xiao Zi's "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude, the old tortoise was too lazy to say anything more.

He rubbed his tortoise shell, which had been lying on the bamboo chair all day and wasn't actually sore, and slowly stood up to prepare dinner for the three "defeated soldiers".

In the pool, Gu Yang barely managed to raise his hand, took Xiao Zi's swollen little hand, and silently and gently rubbed it to improve blood circulation.

Hu Qing turned her head and looked at Xiao Zi's disheveled yet stubborn little face, saying with a touch of heartache:

"Little Purple, how about... we go talk to Senior Turtle and tell him to let your training be canceled?"

Our only wish for you is that you grow up safe and healthy, and one day you can lead us soaring freely in the sky, without having to suffer like this.

Xiao Zi stubbornly shook her head, a few water droplets flying from her wet hair, her voice tired but unusually firm:

"No! I'm going to become the sharpest sword in your hands! Grandpa Turtle is actually right. I used to be too lazy and always thought about relying on the power of my bloodline."

He recalled his previous act of secretly using Long Gang as a trick, and a trace of shame flashed across his face.

Hearing this, Hu Qing felt a surge of warmth in his heart and gently reached out to ruffle Xiao Zi's wet hair.

Then he gently moved his forehead closer and pressed it against Xiao Zi's forehead.

The cold skin pressed together conveyed a silent comfort and support.

The three of them fell silent, savoring the moment of peace and warmth after the arduous training.

The sky darkened completely in this silence, and the stars began to twinkle in the heavens.

Until a familiar, teasing voice came from the shore:

"Oh ho? The three of you aren't playing the bait today, but the fish in the pond instead? Are you planning to give me extra food tonight?"

Upon hearing the sound, Hu Qing and Gu Yang reluctantly opened their eyes and sat up from the water.

While using her slightly restored spiritual energy to evaporate the excess moisture and remaining mud from her body, she retorted irritably:

"You, a dignified commander, shamelessly come here every night to freeload. If your soldiers saw this, they would think that the food in our Dongying camp is so unpalatable!"

The newcomer was none other than Lin Feng. Carrying a rather large wine jar, he swaggered to the open space in front of the wooden house, slammed the jar down on the simple wooden table with a thud, and said without batting an eye:

"What kind of talk is that? I came here specifically to offer Senior Turtle some fine wine!"

I also came to check on the training progress of the three of you, and finally...

"I just wanted to let you guys sample Turtle-senpai's cooking skills, so you wouldn't waste such a wonderful dish."

Gu Yang felt a chill run down his spine at Lin Feng's shameless excuse. He quickly covered Xiao Zi's ears beside him and said with a look of disgust:

"Go away, don't pollute the pure hearts of children here!"

Hu Qing had already stepped ashore. He circulated his spiritual energy, and steam rose from his body, quickly drying his robes and hair.

He carefully examined his internal condition, although his muscles were still incredibly sore.

However, the spiritual energy flowing through his meridians was indeed more abundant and refined than before.

It seems that these two days of hellish training, although painful in process, have yielded real results.

Just then, the old tortoise came out of the wooden house carrying a huge, fragrant wooden platter.

On the plate were several sea fish, grilled to a perfect crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil. It certainly had a good haul this afternoon.

The old tortoise spotted the wine jar on the table at a glance. Its eyes lit up, and without any hesitation, it grabbed it, broke the clay seal, and inhaled the aroma of the wine with relish.

Then it casually sat back down in its special bamboo chair. It pointed at Lin Feng with its paw and commanded:

"Hey kid, stop standing there drooling! Go inside and bring out the rice cooker and bowls! Do you expect me, an old man, to serve you?"

Lin Feng chuckled, responded, and quickly went into the wooden house to get busy.

Under the cover of night, the temporary camp was filled with the warm and enticing aroma of food, which temporarily dispelled the hardships and fatigue of the day.