Without wasting any more time, Leyvi and the ladies finally made their way to the isolated chamber Ava had prepared for him. A fourth of the chamber was taken up by a thick branch of the spiritual vein, and it was here that Leyvi would cultivate.
"Hoo… Ava, you dug all of this by yourself? This chamber is quite spacious," Leyvi asked, his tone tinged with genuine surprise.
He was truly impressed because the earth in the mine was extremely tough. He had tested it himself and found that it was even stronger than the demonic earthworm tunnels, which were reinforced by layers of their hardened mucus. Yet Ava had managed to carve out a chamber of this size using only her physical strength.
"I'm not doing this for you. I used the opportunity to train my skill," Ava replied as she lifted her delicate-looking right hand. Her nails lengthened in an instant, sharp and glinting under the light.
Leyvi's eyes lit up with interest. "So body cultivators can do something like this, huh? Interesting."
He had never seen a body cultivator in an actual battle, so he still did not know the full extent of their abilities. But after sparring with Ava many times, he understood well enough how terrifying they could be even in ordinary combat. If Ava decided to combine her extreme flexibility with those claws, he suspected that he would be completely overwhelmed.
"Also, I noticed that you feel much stronger than before. Did you finally break through your body cultivation bottleneck?" Leyvi asked.
Ava retracted her nails and gave a small nod. "Yes. Thanks to Barbara."
"Barbara is that cute scholarly lady, right? She must be a genius if she could solve your problem so easily," Leyvi said.
"That's right. She's a super genius. Why else do you think Protector Alexandra chose her to study the portals here? And she's my best friend, so don't you dare have any designs on her. I won't let a sex fiend like you go after her," Ava replied firmly.
Leyvi was left speechless. What the heck? I haven't even done anything yet, and she's already this defensive. It hadn't even crossed my mind.
Anda giggled. Sorry, Leyvi.
Before Ava could act even more protective about Barbara, Leyvi quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Anda, why is there a large bed in here? Didn't we already have one in the mansion?" Leyvi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, this is for when you want to relax and recharge your energy. As for the beds, I bought several before we came here so that we could all sleep comfortably. As expected, they came in handy," Anda replied, her voice sweet and innocent.
Ava rolled her eyes at Anda's answer. Yeah, right. For relaxing, sure. Who else would bring so many beds to a place like this? A sex fiend and a sex demoness—truly a perfect match.
Leyvi smiled at Anda. "Thank you for your consideration, my wife. But did you forget that the spiritual vein will keep our bodies energized at all times? We can't get tired here. So I don't need that bed. You can keep it."
"Oh my. Is that so? I didn't know that," Anda said, pretending to be surprised. "But don't worry, husband. It's still a universally good thing to have a bed in a room, especially a large one. It will bring you good luck and a happy life."
Leyvi and the other ladies were speechless. Since when did we have a superstition like that? This panda is just making things up again.
Leyvi chuckled at Anda's antics. "Fine, fine. Once every three months then. Is that good?"
"Hehe, deal! You hear that, ladies? Let's come back here after three months. Oh, Sister Ava, you can come too if you feel like it," Anda teased.
"No thanks. He'll have to beat me in a physical battle first. That's the only requirement," Ava reminded.
Leyvi just chuckled. Now that Ava had overcome her bottleneck, there was no way he could catch up easily, especially when he needed to focus on spiritual cultivation first.
"Alright, ladies. Time to go. We've delayed our husband enough already," Anda said, leading them out of the chamber.
But as they stepped outside, she stopped. A figure was waiting there. It was Barbara.
"Oh, Miss Barbara. What brings you here? Are you here to visit my husband? You must be, right? After all, my husband is the best man in the world! Hehe." Anda greeted her with a bright smile.
Ava rolled her eyes. She is obviously here for me. Why would she seek out that sex fiend?
Barbara's gaze lingered on Valenia for a moment. The striking red hair and the well-toned figure matched perfectly with Ava's past descriptions, so she quickly recognized who she was.
She then turned back to Anda. "Madam Anda, you are correct. I am here to see your husband. I have business with him."
"WHAT?" Ava blurted, her voice sharp with disbelief. She never imagined Barbara would actually be looking for Leyvi.
What are you thinking, Barbara? I am doing my best to protect you, and here you are sending yourself straight to him! That man is a sex fiend. I warned you about him so many times already! Ava fumed inwardly.
Anda's eyes widened in surprise. This was something she had never considered, and it left her momentarily at a loss.
Leyvi blinked. Why does she want to meet me? I did not accidentally increase my handsomeness, did I? He glanced at his reflection in the polished surface of a nearby pillar. No, the Handsomeness Slider benefit hasn't changed at all. So what was this about?
Ava appeared beside Barbara in an instant and tugged at her scholar's robe. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Barbara, what are you doing? You don't have to go through with this. This family is strange. You don't have to listen to that panda's brainwashing and join just because she says I'm lonely. She's lying."
Leyvi's mouth twitched. Excuse me. We can hear that. And for the record, Ava, you are part of this family too, so you are strange by default.
Barbara giggled softly. "Calm down, Ava. I need to see your husband for a different reason. I'm doing research."
Ava blinked. "Eh? Research? What research could you possibly be doing with him?"
Anda's lips curved into a playful smile. "Hehe, what else, Sister Ava? Obviously, she wants to research how manly our husband can be. You can join her too, Ava. I give you both my permission."
What about my permission? I was about to start cultivating, you know, Leyvi grumbled inwardly.
Barbara's eyes widened slightly. "No, no, no. Madam Anda, you misunderstood." Her voice quickened, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. She had expected this kind of teasing, but it still flustered her. After all, she was still a maiden.
"I'm here to do research on spiritual cultivation," Barbara explained. "I heard your husband is going to learn the spiritual touch. I want to observe and record everything. As you might have heard from Ava, our continent's spiritual cultivation is still in its developmental stage, while the Protogaea Continent already has an established system. Miss Seraphina keeps mocking how far behind we are, and frankly, I'm annoyed. I need this opportunity to study and gather more data for the sake of our progress!" Her voice grew more passionate with every sentence.
Ava blinked. She let out a relieved sigh. So that's what this is about. Thank goodness she's not throwing herself at that sex fiend, she thought, her tension easing.
Anda's lips curved into a subtle smile. What a perfect development! A chance for them to interact closely! Hehe, she mused, her excitement bubbling inwardly while her expression remained composed.
She nodded at Barbara. "Miss Barbara, I completely understand. Your passion is inspiring. How could I refuse? Cloud Continent is fortunate to have someone like you working so hard for its progress. As a native, I thank you for your efforts. But you should ask my husband's permission, not mine," she said, her voice warm.
Barbara's eyes widened. "Ah, you're right, Madam Anda. I should have asked him first. Please pardon my oversight," she said, her tone apologetic.
Leyvi sighed. What choice do I have? This panda's scheming knows no limits, he thought, resigned to following Anda's plan.
Barbara turned to him, her hands fidgeting. "Mister Leyvi, I… I… I would like to… to study and research while… while you're practicing spiritual cultivation. Can… can I?" she stammered. Her face flushed crimson, her voice trembling.
Ahhh! I'm terrible at talking to men outside my family! This is so embarrassing! How will I ever get married acting like this? Barbara wailed inwardly, her confidence crumbling under her own awkwardness.
"Miss Barbara, seeing how passionate you are, how could I refuse?" Leyvi said. "But please be absolutely careful not to disturb me in any way—spiritual cultivation requires extreme concentration. If possible, don't use your Qi at all. Is that acceptable?"
"Y–yes! Thank you very much, Mister Leyvi!"
"Miss Barbara, please… just call me Leyvi. No need for honorifics."
"Ah, y–yes! Pardon me… Le–Leyvi!" Barbara stammered, her blush deepening until her ears were practically glowing.