Chapter 23 Invitation to Qin Ruoxue

Inside the cave, the lingering effects of the intense battle had not yet completely dissipated.

The air was filled with the steam from the hot spring, the faint pressure of the awakened dragon bloodline, and a faint, decadent atmosphere.

Long Ling'er nestled in Zhou Tian's arms, her delicate body rising and falling slightly.

The pair of striking golden-red dragon horns on her forehead had dimmed and now lay obediently against her hair.

She closed her eyes, savoring the brief moment of tranquil tenderness, her fingers unconsciously tracing circles on his firm chest.

However, Zhou Tian didn't have much free time.

"Ling'er".

Zhou Tian spoke, his voice slightly hoarse from the aftermath, yet clear and calm.

"Um?"

Long Ling'er responded lazily and raised her eyelids.

Her eyes were shimmering with tears, and when she looked at Zhou Tian, ​​she was filled with complete dependence and a trace of lingering desire.

"You just said you could help me... Tell me, among the remaining senior sisters, who do you think is most likely to need help the most?"

Zhou Tian ran his fingers through her sweat-dampened purple hair, his tone calm.

Upon hearing this, Long Ling'er's languidness faded somewhat, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

She knew very well the purpose of Zhou Tianwen's question, and a complex feeling arose in her heart.

Not long ago, she was a naive junior sister who was struggling with a bottleneck in her studies.

In the blink of an eye, she had to help the man who had completely conquered her to "scheme" against the other senior sisters.

A possessive feeling welled up inside me, but it was quickly overwhelmed by more realistic thoughts.

The power and uniqueness of the Zhou Tian system is the only shortcut for all of them to break through difficulties and even pursue a higher path in a short period of time.

The survival of the sect and one's own future depend on this.

She gently bit her lower lip, thinking carefully:

"Third Senior Sister Lin Qingyu and Fourth Senior Sister Su Wan'er cultivate special techniques that require them to maintain their primordial yin bodies. Their master's wife has strictly forbidden them from breaking this rule, so I'm afraid... it's extremely difficult. Forcing them to try might backfire, or even cause the techniques to reverse."

Zhou Tian nodded. Zi Ling had mentioned this before, and they were considered two "tough nuts to crack" for the time being.

Long Ling'er continued.

"Fifth Senior Sister Chu Hongxiu has a fiery temper and cannot tolerate any imperfections. She used to look down on... uh, you from before. Moreover, she specializes in body tempering techniques and is even more stubborn than a man. To get her to submit willingly, we'd probably have to beat her into submission first."

She glanced at Zhou Tian.

Although Zhou Tian is making rapid progress, it will probably take some time before he can defeat Chu Hongxiu, who is in the late stage of Foundation Establishment and is skilled in close combat.

"My best friend is Seventh Senior Sister Qin Ruoxue, and I've thought about her before..."

"Moreover, Qin Ruoxue has been stuck in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for even longer than me. In addition, her soul foundation was damaged due to the invasion of the Demonic Sect, so it will probably be difficult for her to advance any further in the future."

Long Ling'er continued.

"Damaged spiritual foundation?"

Zhou Tian's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the opportunity?

"Perhaps... I could try talking to them?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tian's lips curled into a smile, and his fingers gently caressed Long Ling'er's smooth shoulder.

"It seems that Ling'er has become a qualified and virtuous wife to me."

Long Ling'er blushed and glared at him coquettishly, but there was not much annoyance in her eyes, but rather a shy joy of being recognized.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then... Junior Brother, do you think we should start with Senior Sister Qingyan?"

Zhou Tian nodded without hesitation: "There's no time to lose. Ling'er, contact her now and ask her to come to your cave."

"Now?"

Long Ling'er was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at the two of them.

Long Ling'er's clothes were disheveled, her hair was messy, and traces of her intense "cultivation" remained everywhere in the cave.

Although she wanted to help Zhou Tian, ​​the thought of facing her close senior sister in this state still filled her with immense embarrassment.

"Let's do it now."

Zhou Tian did not give Long Ling'er a chance to refuse.

Looking into his deep, calm eyes, Long Ling'er knew she couldn't refute him.

She sighed softly and resignedly sat up from Zhou Tian's embrace.

A sudden chill swept over her, causing small goosebumps to appear on her fair skin, and making her even more aware of the awkwardness of her situation.

But in the end, she obediently reached out and beckoned, and a plain white jade pendant for transmitting sound flew out from among the scattered clothes and landed in her palm.

Holding the slightly cool jade pendant, Long Ling'er took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound more natural, and channeled spiritual energy into the jade pendant.

Soon, a soft blue halo appeared on the surface of the jade pendant.

A gentle and melodious female voice, yet carrying a hint of detachment, emanated from it.

"Junior Sister Ling'er? Is there something you need from me at this hour?"

The voice belonged to Seventh Senior Sister Qin Ruoxue.

Long Ling'er steadied herself, trying to make her tone sound relaxed:

"Senior Sister Qingyan, are you free now? Could you come to my cave? I... I have some questions about cultivation that I'd like to ask you." A very common reason.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the jade pendant, as if they were somewhat surprised that Long Ling'er would ask for advice at this time.

Qin Ruoxue's voice rang out again, still gentle: "Having trouble with your cultivation? Ling'er, just now... the spiritual energy fluctuations over the cave were quite intense, did you encounter some problem during your breakthrough?"

She clearly sensed the slight aura that had leaked out when Long Ling'er condensed her golden core earlier.

Long Ling'er's heart tightened, and she quickly said:

"No, there's nothing wrong! It's...it's just that I've gained some other insights, and I'd like to ask Senior Sister for some guidance in person."

She spoke vaguely, afraid of saying too much and making a mistake.

Qin Ruoxue didn't seem to suspect anything, and simply said gently, "If that's the case, then wait a moment, I'll be right there."

The light from the sound-transmitting jade pendant faded.

Long Ling'er let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had completed a difficult task. She tossed the jade pendant aside and leaned softly back into Zhou Tian's arms.

Long Ling'er couldn't help but lightly punch him with her fist: "It's all your fault, you were in such a hurry... I almost didn't know what to say."

Zhou Tian chuckled softly, took her small fist in his hand, and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Well done."

The kiss was brief yet affirmative, strangely soothing the slight unease and complaints in Long Ling'er's heart.

But then, practical problems arose.

Long Ling'er looked around the messy cave, her pretty face flushing red again.

"Shall we... tidy up first? Otherwise, when Senior Sister Qingyan arrives and sees this scene..."

She simply couldn't imagine how embarrassing that would be, and it might even scare away Qin Ruoxue, who was always very particular about cleanliness.

Zhou Tian nodded readily in agreement.

Although he was eager for quick success, he also knew his limits.

If you leave an impression of being too absurd and reckless on the first meeting, it will indeed be detrimental to future developments.

With a thought, his Foundation Establishment Perfection spiritual power gently surged out, transforming into an invisible breeze that swiftly swept through the cave.

The splashed water stains, the messy marks on the ice bed, and the lingering ambiguous atmosphere in the air.

Now, all of this was quietly washed away and covered by the spiritual energy breeze that contained a trace of his dragon essence.