I Shatter My Bottlenecks Through Dual Cultivation, Stunning Even Immortal Maidens - Chapter 2:

Chapter 2: A Mortal Girl Can Also Step Onto the Immortal Path

Early in the morning, faint light filtered through the window lattice.

Zhou Kai opened his eyes, his vision still slightly blurred. The warmth beside him had long since faded. Chen Ziyi must have risen already.

The memories of last night were somewhat chaotic, yet certain fragments were strikingly clear.

The delicate body beneath him had gradually melted in his arms. From the initial stiffness and nervous tension to the later uncontrollable moans and shy responses… once one had tasted it, it was hard to forget.

[Zhou Kai (Damaged Dantian)]

[Cultivation Level: 4th stage Qi Refining Realm (0/400)]

[Vitality: 1st stage Meridians Awakening Realm (86/100)]

[Spiritual Roots: Metal (Low-grade 12/100), Wood (Low-grade 25/100), Water (Low-grade 17/100), Fire (Low-grade 23/100)]

[Hundred Arts of Cultivation: None]

[Confidante: Chen Ziyi]

[Available Exchange Interaction Points: 4]

Four points?

Wasn’t it one interaction point per time?

After the system awakened, they had clearly only interacted three times.

Where had the extra point come from?

With a frown, he opened Chen Ziyi’s panel.

[Confidante: Chen Ziyi (Mortal)]

[Spiritual Root: None (+)]

[Favorability: 20 (Affection)]

[Exchange Points Provided: 2]

Favorability twenty. No wonder.

It seemed that during the final interaction, her favorability had increased, which granted him an additional point.

Yesterday, the system had stated that due to the beginner gift pack, Chen Ziyi would provide exchange points before stepping onto the path of cultivation. Did that mean that even without spiritual roots, she could still cultivate?

He looked at her panel again.

Behind the “Spiritual Root” entry, there was clearly a faint plus sign.

Zhou Kai’s heart jolted. When he tapped it, a colorful selection menu appeared: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. Each option had its own plus sign.

Now he completely understood.

This Confidante Interaction System was truly heaven-defying.

After the initial excitement faded, he gradually calmed down.

Ecstasy was fleeting. Survival was fundamental.

He was now at the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm. In a cultivation family like the Chen family, he was merely an offering elder with an awkward status.

His cultivation was not high on the surface, which meant he did not attract attention.

If his cultivation soared like a rocket, it would inevitably draw suspicion.

A low-talent offering elder advancing at an astonishing pace was itself the greatest anomaly.

An innocent man carrying a treasure invites disaster. He understood this principle better than anyone.

This was not a society ruled by law. One could be killed and robbed even without evidence.

Therefore, his cultivation could not rise too quickly. At the very least, it could not visibly leap forward. Any increase in strength had to appear reasonable.

First, improve his alchemy skills and refine pills to repair his damaged dantian.

Then enhance his aptitude, meaning the grade of his spiritual roots.

For now, he absolutely could not directly raise his cultivation level.

As for how to proceed afterward, Zhou Kai already had a plan in mind.

He sat up and stretched lazily.

Standing before a bronze mirror, he examined himself.

The reflection showed a face no longer young. Fine lines lingered at the corners of his eyes, though his features were still firm.

At fifty years old, he looked like a mortal who had just turned forty.

A Qi Refining cultivator usually had a lifespan of about one hundred and twenty years. After eighty, decline was inevitable.

Half of Zhou Kai’s ambitious long-term strategy collapsed instantly.

Alchemy? 

Spiritual roots? 

Those were important. But… he was a transmigrator.

With a system golden finger in hand, was he supposed to compete with young, handsome prodigies while wearing this slightly weathered face? To pursue those youthful, radiant girls?

No. Appearance was justice. Youth was king.

All his thoughts about “sustainable development,” “resource production lines,” and “steady growth” were instantly replaced by a far simpler concern: did he even want to keep this face?

“System. Allocate all interaction points to vitality.”

[Vitality: 1st stage Meridians Awakening Realm (90/100)]

As long as vitality increased, the body would grow stronger, age more slowly, and perhaps even reverse aging or regenerate from a drop of blood.

He felt no dramatic sensation, but the fine lines at the corners of his eyes visibly faded.

“I really am obsessed with looks,” Zhou Kai muttered with a laugh.

“My lord is awake?”

The voice approached from outside. The door creaked open as Chen Ziyi entered carrying a wooden basin and a set of washing tools.

She wore a maid’s outfit, her hair neatly combed. The blush from last night still lingered faintly on her cheeks. Her eyes were lowered, shy and gentle.

“My lord, breakfast is already set on the table.” She placed the basin on its stand and lifted a cup of steaming tea. “Allow me to assist you in washing and dressing.”

“Ziyi, sit first,” Zhou Kai said gently.

Chen Ziyi obediently sat on a round stool nearby, her back straight, looking somewhat stiff.

Seeing her restrained posture, Zhou Kai smiled. “There’s no need to be so formal. In front of me, you can relax.”

Her beauty was undeniable. Her brows and eyes were filled with docility, gentle and endearing.

“Ziyi, have you ever thought about stepping onto the immortal path?” Zhou Kai suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“My lord, I… I am just a mortal. I have no spiritual roots…”

“Spiritual roots may be decreed by heaven, but there are fortunes beyond fate.”

Zhou Kai deliberately spoke in a mysterious tone. “Have you heard of a rare spiritual root known as the Hidden Spiritual Root?”

“Ordinary methods cannot detect it. It appears no different from a mortal. Only through special techniques or fortuitous opportunities, aided by external force, can it be revealed and transformed into a true spiritual root.”

“Years ago, I happened to obtain a fragment of an ancient text about unusual spiritual roots. It recorded methods for identifying and preliminarily guiding Hidden Spiritual Roots.”

“Last night, I unexpectedly discovered that you seem to show signs of possessing such a Hidden Spiritual Root. I cannot be certain, but it is worth trying.”

It was utter nonsense spoken with a serious face.

“Follow me and serve with dedication. I will let you step onto the immortal path.”

“And there is no need to call me my lord anymore. You do not need to refer to yourself as a concubine either.”

Chen Ziyi’s mind buzzed.

Let her step onto the immortal path? And no longer call him my lord?

She had been born beautiful and raised to contribute to the family.

To the family, she was merely an object, a tool. Some of her less beautiful sisters could at least marry a suitable husband. Even as a concubine, they could choose someone they did not dislike.

She had only hoped not to be given to an aged, frail immortal with a twisted temperament. She had heard that many cultivators whose progress had stagnated became warped in personality.

She had prepared herself mentally, thinking that as long as it was not unbearable, it would be enough.

Fortunately, Zhou Kai was not like that.

Last night, though tense at first, it had not been all pain. There had even been a faint, strange pleasure.

The man before her looked younger than he had the previous night. Even the lines at the corners of his eyes had lightened.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes slightly red, feeling fortunate to have been assigned to Zhou Kai.

Yet she still said, “I would not dare. Ziyi will remain loyal without second thoughts.”

[Ding!]

[Chen Ziyi Favorability +30]

[Favorability: 50 (Devoted)]

[Exchange Points Provided: 5]

Zhou Kai looked at her, joy blooming in his heart. He did not bother correcting her form of address. It was enough that he had said what needed to be said.

“I’ll go to the Affairs Hall to report my cultivation breakthrough,” he said casually. “There is no need for you to restrain yourself. Do whatever you wish.”

Chen Ziyi rose to see him off, then suddenly sensed something. “My lord has broken through?”

“It is quite strange,” Zhou Kai replied gently. “Perhaps being with you… stirred something in my state of mind. The bottleneck that had troubled me for years unexpectedly loosened, and I was fortunate enough to break through into the middle stage Qi Refining Realm.”

He looked at her warmly. “That is why I say, Ziyi, you are my lucky star.”