Yin-Yang Art
My heart pounded as I read the Yin-Yang Art. The path of harmonious union between yin and yang meant it was a dual cultivation technique.
With trembling hands, I continued flipping through the pages. As expected, the Yin-Yang Art was a supreme technique—a dual cultivation method that could take one from the Qi Refining stage all the way to the Transformation realm.
This wasn't some low-grade trash like the methods floating around the martial world, where only one side benefited. No, this was true dual cultivation, where both man and woman gained in their cultivation. Cultivate and enjoy blissful intercourse with a beautiful partner? How perfect was that?
Wait—there was one problem I hadn't considered. How the hell was I supposed to find a cultivation partner?
Pretend to be crazy and proposition some female disciple at my level? No way. If word spread in the sect, they might steal the technique from me. I absolutely couldn't let anyone know I had the Yin-Yang Art. And it wasn't just any technique—it was a supreme one.
Of course, a supreme technique like this had to include a way to find a partner. I kept reading to the end.
The author of the Yin-Yang Art was the Yin-Yang Taoist, who had reached the early Transformation stage ten thousand years ago. He unified the Seosan Continent and then crossed to the massive Jinjin Continent far to the west, or so the legends went.
According to the Yin-Yang Taoist, the core of the Yin-Yang Art lay in the hearts of the man and woman cultivating it. The stronger their love for each other, the faster their progress and the greater the technique's effects.
Those effects went beyond mere increases in magical power or realm advancement. It purified the skin, enhanced one's appearance, and even extended lifespan in the end.
I let out a sigh of admiration at that passage. Cultivating the Yin-Yang Art might turn my average looks into those of a handsome young man. I grinned at the thought.
Kang Seolhui, Nae Cheonha—wait for me. I'll grow strong and make you both my cultivation partners.
But why hadn't it explained how to find a partner yet? Growing impatient, I skimmed through the section on the Yin-Yang Taoist's life.
He had come from a famous daoist sect on the Seosan Continent, with outstanding looks and bearing. Women had flocked to him from the start. He ended up with over twenty cultivation partners, and he often tangled with female disciples from other sects too.
At the end of his biography, it mentioned why he left for Jinjin Continent: to find a way to other realms. Other realms... that was far beyond me now, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.
I kept reading the Yin-Yang Art, and finally, the part I wanted appeared.
A partner wasn't strictly necessary for cultivating the Yin-Yang Art. One could raise their realm by cultivating it on an unsuspecting female disciple who didn't know the incantations. It even worked on yao race cultivators who took human form—not just human women.
Yao race cultivators too...? I'd never seen one in human form, but I pictured it: a voluptuous yao cultivator shaking her ample hips seductively. Just the thought made my chest heat up and my pants tighten.
Whew, calm down. This is the Library Pavilion.
I shook off the daze and refocused on the Yin-Yang Art. Its incantations were profound, requiring a deep understanding of yin-yang and the five elements, making it tricky. But luckily, I was at least at the entry level.
Tucking the manual safely into my robes, I tidied up the Library Pavilion while mentally reciting the incantations over and over.
An hour later, I'd finished my assigned duties for the day and headed back to my dwelling. The cave I'd carved out myself was tucked in a secluded corner, cozy in its own way. I didn't know formations yet, and spirit stones were too precious, so I'd camouflaged the entrance with bushes and rocks.
Huh? Why is the rock blocking the entrance pushed aside?
Assuming someone had broken in, I erased my presence and crept forward cautiously.
"Yuseong! I'm here!"
A bright voice rang out as a woman appeared.
"Whoa! What brings you all the way out here, Moyong-sajun?"
Moyong Wol—we'd entered the Unkak Sect together as peers. She'd reached the 6th stage of Qi Refining. Her looks were average, but her smile... it outshone any beauty I'd ever seen. In this place full of eye-gouging maniacs where one slip on a dangerous mission meant death, she was the only one I opened my heart to.
Without her, amid the mockery from fellow initiates, the disdain from seniors, and my own frustration at stagnant cultivation, I would've fled the sect long ago to live as a rogue cultivator.
"Come on, no 'sajun' stuff. Just call me Wol like always."
Even now, her laughing face was heartbreakingly beautiful. A beauty's smile versus hers from an ordinary face? It sounded contradictory, but it was true.
"Haha, how could I call Sajun Wol so casually?"
"Hmph! If you don't, I'll report all the contraband you've got in this cave to the sect!"
"Wol, my bad."
Moyong Wol planted her hands on her hips, looking triumphant.
"That's more like it. Yuseong, come with me somewhere tomorrow. You don't have duties then, right?"
"It's my day off, but... suddenly? Where to?"
"When Sajun tells you, you just say 'Yes, Sajun.'"
She'd told me not to call her sajun earlier, and now she was playing the part? Sigh, being weak is my sin. Just you wait—once I get strong and become sect leader, I'll show you all.
"Ahem. You know the Unkak Sect is at the foothills of the Gaun Mountains, right? Well, I found some Cloud Star Grass—the kind that only grows deep in the range—near the entrance. Let's go dig it up together."
Cloud Star Grass was the main ingredient for Nimbus Cloud Pills, effective for Qi Refining cultivators. Unkak Sect disciples scoured the mountains for it like mad.
And she wanted to share it with me instead of keeping it?
"Is there a yao beast nearby, so you need me as backup?"
Moyong Wol stuck out her tongue with a grin, caught red-handed.
"Bingo. You're sharp. But don't worry—last time, there was only one Rank 2 Black Bear. We team up, and it'll be no problem."
A Rank 2 Black Bear... equivalent to a typical Qi Refining 5th stage. With just one, Moyong Wol at 6th stage could lead the attack while I supported from the side. Easy. And with me struggling at 3rd stage, this was a golden opportunity.
"Sounds good. How do we split the Cloud Star Grass?"
"80-20?"
"80-20? Nice try."
Moyong Wol looked like she'd expected that.
"70-30. No less."
"What if there's not much?"
"No way. I confirmed with my own eyes—plenty of century-old stuff."
"Then see you tomorrow morning. I need to prep..."
She winked one eye.
"Yep. Prep well, Sajun's heading out first."
As she left, an inexplicable emptiness welled up in my chest. Snap out of it, Yuseong! Get to Core Formation quick, or your lifespan won't last.
I steeled myself and began cultivating according to the Yin-Yang Art's incantations.
Cultivators didn't need much sleep, so I decided to spend from night till morning grasping them.
The entry to the Yin-Yang Art involved dividing heaven-and-earth spiritual energy into yin and yang qi, then accumulating magical power. Ordinary techniques absorbed spiritual energy, expelled impurities, refined pure inner energy, and built power that way.
But the Yin-Yang Art allowed man and woman to exchange yin and yang during intercourse, harmonizing them in the body for purer power. Alone, it devolved into an ordinary method—so partners were ideal.
Hm, should I tell Wol the truth and cultivate together? Jackpot if yes, but ruin if no...
I shoved future worries aside and focused on what I could do now. All night, I drew in spiritual energy, split it into yin and yang, and built power.
Definitely faster than my old technique—I could feel it. At this rate, 4th stage was just around the corner.
Lost in cultivation, I suddenly sensed a presence and opened my eyes to find Moyong Wol right in front of me.
"Gah! Say something when you arrive!"
She giggled.
"You were so deep in cultivation, I didn't dare interrupt."
I played it cool despite my fluster.
"Let's go bag that Rank 2 Black Bear and dig up the Cloud Star Grass."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're not hiding anything from Sajun, are you?"
"Nope, Moyong-sajun. Let's head out."
"Hmph!"
She snorted, hopped on her flying treasure, and took off. I hurriedly followed on mine.
The Gaun Mountains, home to the Unkak Sect, brimmed with spiritual energy—enough for other sects and cultivation clans too. Trespassing meant danger, so we moved carefully.
An hour of flight later, Moyong Wol gestured and dove into the forest. We'd arrived.
She landed and sent a voice transmission: "Over there."
Sure enough, century-old Cloud Star Grass grew by a pond, with a Rank 2 Black Bear drinking nearby.
"Yuseong, draw its attention. I'll finish it from behind."
...She wanted me to play bait? I shot her a suspicious look.