Xi Huai was trying to breakthrough to Nascent Soul stage with no preparation whatsoever this time. He never thought he would ever be so hasty. 

In the cultivation world, cultivators were very careful every time they wanted to break through to a new stage. Failure was not only a blow to their pride, it could also leave untreatable 'advancement wounds'.

But there was no time to lose. Xi Huai could only bite the bullet and try.

Luckily the Qing Ze Sect had prepared beneficial pills for him long ago, so that his attempt wasn't entirely foolhardy.

After the breakthrough, there was no one to help him stabilise his cultivation. Thus, Xi Huai did his best to absorb as much energy as possible from the spiritual spring while his meridians were most open.

After he ascended to the Nascent Soul stage, he was able to absorb more spiritual energy. The tornado around him became even more fierce and domineering, three times larger than before. 

Chi Muyao didn't dare to approach. He even hid in a corner and peeked out cautiously, afraid to disturb Xi Huai at a critical moment. 

Strangely enough, Qiuqiu could actually calmly sit on Xi Huai without being swept away by the tornado. His feathers ruffled wildly, but it sat like a little dumpling. 

The tall man with a handsome but somewhat fierce face and a pot-bellied oriole made for a very strange, mismatched combination. 

Chi Muyao deliberately lowered his voice and asked Kong Qing, "Senior, is there a cultivation technique suitable for single fire spiritual root Nascent Soul stage cultivators?" 

Kong Qing hid even farther than Chi Muyao, otherwise she really would be swept away by the wind. She thought for a moment before answering, "I do not know what path he cultivated before."

Fu Ru immediately interjected, "What else could it be? He's twenty years old with just cultivation alone. I bet he's great at fighting but lacking in actual techniques..." 

Chi Muyao nodded. "En. He was kind of uneducated before..." 

While uneducated was a bit harsh, it did describe Xi Huai. 

Xi Huai probably only properly learned cultivation for the first eighteen years of his life.

After being locked in that cave at eighteen until he was twenty-one, he then spent the next two years searching for Chi Muyao. 

Finally finding him at twenty-three, he didn't catch a break until he got trapped in this formation for more than a year.

Now Xi Huai was twenty-five with Nascent Soul stage cultivation, but he never really seriously utilised any techniques.

Xi Huai came this far on aptitude alone. Even Chi Muyao didn't know what he should do from now on.

He suddenly felt a burst of guilt. He caused Xi Huai to waste his superb aptitude all these years and now the man would have to play catch up.

Chi Muyao and the seniors ended up deciding on a few sets of cultivation techniques suitable for single fire spiritual roots. He would share them with Xi Huai after he was done absorbing spiritual energy and let him choose which one he felt was best. 

It was more than ten days before Xi Huai finished. He breathed out deeply and opened his eyes to look around, obviously looking for Chi Muyao. 

Chi Muyao hurriedly ran over with light steps, skimming over the spiritual spring's surface with minimal ripples.

He knelt in front of Xi Huai. "How do you feel?" 

Xi Huai was relieved to see him. His gaze softened a lot. 

Perhaps this was what Xi Huai wanted, for Chi Muyao to not have run away every time he opened his eyes, even coming to care for him. 

He first used the Simple Washing Technique to cleanse himself before ruffling Chi Muyao's hair. "I'm alright. Why's your hair so messy?" 

"Well you did conjure up a tornado while you were cultivating. Thanks to that my hair's a mess now." Chi Muyao took the initiative to lean in so Xi Huai could help him fix his hair. 

"Then why didn't you lay down a barrier for the wind?" Xi Huai asked again. 

"I'm afraid I'd miss the moment you finished by falling asleep or something." 

Xi Huai looked at him again for a long time before simply corralling him into his arms. 

Xi Huai remained cross-legged. Dragging Chi Muyao into his lap, he tilted his head back and kissed him on the lips. 

As if asking for praise, Xi Huai asked, "Do I have enough cultivation to feed you now?"

Chi Muyao looked at this 'ambitious' and 'motivated' furnace and felt a tinge of melancholy. He could only change the subject, "We'll talk about that later. You still have to think about what cultivation techniques to practice from now on."

"My Dad's prepared one for me a long time ago. The bamboo slips are all in my Myriad Treasure Bell." 

"That's great. I also asked the seniors for a few sets of cultivation techniques. I wrote them down so you can read them later." 

"All right." 

Qiuqiu also exited seclusion after Xi Huai. He flew around Chi Muyao and 'Qiuqiu'-ed non-stop. 

Chi Muyao was so bothered by the noise that he looked up at Qiuqiu. "En, en. Your realm has advanced as well. Good for you." 

"Qiu!"

 "I'm not crushing him or bullying him."

"Qiuqiu!"

"He's my cultivation partner! A single bird like you wouldn't understand!" 

Xi Huai was actually amused by this human-bird argument.

Although he couldn't understand what Qiuqiu was saying, he got the gist of it. 

Chi Muyao put a hand on Xi Huai's shoulder. Feeling like the newly awakened Qiuqiuq was too noisy, he simply dumped Qiuqiu back into his spirit pet bag. 

After peace was restored, he looked at Xi Huai, who was regarding him with a smile. 

There was a soft look in Xi Huai's eyes. This person would only be this soft when looking at his beloved one. 

His heart trembled. 

Then he lowered his head and took the initiative to kiss Xi Huai. 

It was far from their first kiss, but he was still as shy as a maiden. Especially since Xi Huai was helping him rub his knee... 

Xi Huai remembered things he casually mentioned. 

What did it mean to become a cultivation partner with someone? 

It meant relying on each other, keeping each other company, allowing their breaths to intertwine until they melded into one.

The two only reluctantly stopped the kiss after some time. Chi Muyao remained sitting in Xi Huai's lap, hugging his shoulders and leaning against him. 

He laughed lightly as he hugged Chi Muyao, burying his face in the middle of Chi Muyao's neck. "What, don't know how to be shy anymore?"

"Maybe...but in the miasma we already...never mind. It's not like we did anything excessive..." 

"En. I'm actually quite interested."

"Wait until we're out of the formation."

"Okay, I'll put up with it a little longer."

It seemed like even wasting time together was happiness when you were with the one you loved. 

The duo quietly held each other like this, not saying anything nor getting tired of it. 

After who knew how long, Chi Muyao suddenly laughed and pushed Xi Huai's face. "Why is your breath so hot? It tickles." 

Xi Huai reluctantly shifted his face away and changed the side he was leaning on. 

Chi Muyao pushed him again. "Your breath is blowing right at my Adam's apple. It tickles." 

"Here, huh..." Xi Huai touched it. 

Chi Muyao kept dodging away. 

Xi Huai suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Oh..."

Chi Muyao immediately jolted and hurriedly stood up, using the Light Body Technique to retreat to the shore. He took out the cultivation techniques he wrote down from the Thousand Treasure Bell and said with feigned calm, "Come and have a look. Are any of these suitable for you?" 

After raising his cultivation level, Xi Huai reached Chi Muyao in an instant. He took the paper for a look and smiled at the first one. "The Heaven and Earth Destruction Technique." 

That's a wild enough name. 

Chi Muyao nodded. "En. Senior Fu Ru wrote that one." 

"Fu Ru, the wind spiritual root powerhouse of legends?" 

"Yes, that's him. Do you know him?" 

Fu Ru, who had been ignoring them up to this point, suddenly perked up and flew towards them. He wanted to hear Xi Huai complimenting him. 

Xi Huai's words were unexpectedly unpleasant, "En. My father mentioned him. He said that if this guy was still alive, he might be a good assistant for us father and son. No worse than Zong Sichen with his wood spiritual root." 

"How arrogant!" Fu Ru immediately cursed so vehemently that a tremor ran through Chi Muyao's hands. "Even if Laozi was alive, you think I'd assist you guys? Like Laozi would care about you horned bastards!" 

Of course Xi Huai couldn't hear Fu Ru's grumblings. He continued, "Everyone says metal and fire elements have top tier fighting ability, but the fire element can get more assistance than the gold element. If another wind spiritual root cultivator appears in this world, I'll go and befriend them. The two of us will be more than a force to be reckoned with in a fight." 

Fu Ru thought for a moment before approving the statement, "Indeed." 

Chi Muyao felt a sudden burst of frustration. "Unfortunately, I'm just a mixed spiritual root. I can't help you with anything."

"You have your healing ability, which is even rarer. Even the Yao Sect as well as the Deer Ridge House's medical cultivators aren't a match for your ability. Moreover, you also have the edge when it comes to sucking Hui Dragon Flames—" 

Chi Muyao hurriedly interrupted him. "Okay, there's no need to say it!” 

Xi Huai looked at the cultivation technique for a moment before adding, "I wanted you as my cultivation partner not just to suck the Hui Dragon Flames nor because of your healing ability."

"En, I know."

When Xi Huai first looked for him, he only knew that Chi Muyao was a three element spiritual root He Huan Sect disciple about to keel over, who couldn't even cultivate to the Foundation Building stage. Even so, he looked for more than two years. Chi Muyao naturally didn't doubt his intentions. 

Chi Muyao let Xi Huai have the lotus seat made of Spirit Assembling Jade, so that Xi Huai could sit and read the cultivation techniques. 

He then busied himself in the cave, setting up a formation.

This was the lynchpin in their plan to break into Su You's internal demon illusionary realm. The formation also needed something from Su You to successfully establish the connection. 

When Chi Muyao was imprisoned with Su You, he had secretly stored a drop of Su You's blood, which he could use at this moment. 

The miscellaneous artefacts he had fished out of the spiritual spring could also be used to strengthen the formation. 

The two didn't disturb each other as they worked. 

Chi Muyao could only estimate the passage of time in the formation. He lay down on the bedding he had set out when he was tired. Wrapped in his little blanket, he said to Xi Huai, "I'm going to take a nap."

"En." Xi Huai quickly responded. 

When Chi Muyao was about to drift off, he felt Xi Huai lie down beside him.

He even subconsciously tugged the blanket over to Xi Huai, who didn't refuse. 

Chi Muyao nuzzled into Xi Huai's arms. Xi Huai's body was always so warm, his shoulders so broad and his arms so long. The perfect hugging partner. 

Xi Huai leaned over and put their foreheads together. Chi Muyao even felt the dragon horns dig into his hair.

However, he was too sleepy to mind. 

Chi Muyao's sea of consciousness suddenly became very strange. 

The original chaotic space suddenly became fine and soft, even a bit sweet.

Something was tickling his divine sense, then wrapped around it and soothed it gently. 

It was so warm, reassuring, and comfortable. 

When the concept of temperature was introduced to the sea of consciousness and the originally cool space became hot, Chi Muyao realised that there was an invader. 

And this invader was...

The invading divine sense sensed him shrinking back and once again wrapped itself around him. 

Like two silky ribbons, they entwined and twisted together. 

His divine consciousness began to tremble, getting more and more flustered. His soul stirred as well. 

Like a calm water surface encountering falling flowers, ripples spread out. 

Or perhaps a more apt description was spring coming after the snow. Red and greens covered the earth as colour reclaimed the monotone landscape.

The gentle wind soothed the green plants, the fine willow branches caressed the lake, and the spring warmth nuzzled the winter snow. 

The ice melted into water to nourish the earth. 

Sure enough, Xi Huai was up to no good. 

The first thing he did after stabilising his Nascent Soul stage cultivation was soul cultivation with him.

In reality, the two were still just lying against each other. The Green Underworld Streamfires couldn't sense anything improper. They did not even notice the tears falling from Chi Muyao's closed eyes, or how he clutched Xi Huai's lapels tightly. 

The turmoil his divine consciousness was experiencing made Chi Muyao's legs curl up. He unconsciously leaned more into Xi Huai's arms. 

He didn't hate it... 

He even liked it a lot.