Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kong Mingan naturally pulled the Ice Empress into his arms, letting her sit sideways on his lap.
For the tiny Ice Empress, this posture perfectly sealed off all of her escape routes.
It wasn't uncomfortable, but the Ice Empress felt awkward all over.
Lingering at her nose was the pleasant scent on his body, seemingly composed of pure Energy. Beside her ear was his steady, gentle voice, and behind her was his warm, solid chest.
Even around her waist was his hand, which blocked all her escape routes.
Although there was thin cloth separating them, the sensation was still incredibly clear, making her feel very strange.
Yet, precisely in this completely controlled posture, a strange sense of security inexplicably sprouted in her heart, even giving rise to the thought, "It wouldn't be bad to just stay like this forever."
Tsk. How weird.
"...Are you listening to me?"
The voice sounded by her ear again. At the same time, the hand holding her waist slightly adjusted its position, and the slight friction of cloth against skin brought a tickle.
The Ice Empress snapped back to attention, paused momentarily, but quickly replied, "I was listening!"
"Then tell me what I was just saying?"
Kong Mingan looked at the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress was instantly speechless, her gaze drifting sideways, her face showing clear guilt.
Kong Mingan sighed, then reached out both hands, pinching her soft, squishy cheeks on both sides and pulling them left and right.
"Mmm—" The Ice Empress grumbled, making muffled sounds of protest, like her destiny had been grasped by the scruff of the neck.
After pinching them for quite a while, Kong Mingan finally let go.
The Ice Empress snorted, expressing her displeasure.
However, Kong Mingan hugged her even tighter, then raised his hand and lightly tapped her weak point between her waist and abdomen with his fingertip.
The Ice Empress immediately stopped grumbling. Her body tensed up, as if she were enduring something. She turned her head and stared at Kong Mingan, gritting her teeth.
"...I will continue speaking. Listen carefully, understand?" Kong Mingan said, slightly increasing the pressure with his fingertip. The Ice Empress, who had been preparing to hiss in protest, instantly couldn't hold on and spoke with restraint:
"I... I know."
"That's good." Kong Mingan released his hand. The Ice Empress's body immediately relaxed, and she leaned softly against Kong Mingan's chest.
A hint of haziness flashed in her golden eyes. The Ice Empress was slightly dazed, and she couldn't stop wondering:
Why does this guy know her body better than she does herself!
Kong Mingan held the Ice Empress and calmly explained:
"Currently, according to the conventional method of Cultivating the 'Star Ring,' after successfully condensing one 'Star Ring,' two conditions must be met to advance again."
"First, an adaptation period is required, waiting for one's own spirit power, physique, and even the 'Star Ring' itself to completely undergo qualitative change and stabilize at the new level."
"During this process, all aspects of the 'Spell Cultivator' system will transform simultaneously."
"Second, it is necessary to accumulate sufficiently vast spirit power—an Energy reserve sufficient to support the condensation of the next 'Star Ring.' Only when both conditions are met simultaneously can one advance smoothly."
The Ice Empress, having partially regained her focus, listened and understood.
Although she often failed to grasp other things, when it came to matters of Cultivation, she wasn't so ignorant.
Thanks to the last time she was stacked between the Snow Empress and this guy beside her for a three-way joint Cultivation, her current state is precisely a period of accumulating spirit power.
Now, she needs to continuously use her own 'Star Ring' to transform her original low-level spirit power into the high-level spirit power she possesses.
At the same time, during the process of accumulation and transformation, her body must also slowly transform along with the accumulation process. This process is the most time-consuming.
Based on the current situation, she can generally refine three to four "standard spirit cores" daily, turning them into her own accumulation. The efficiency is neither high nor low; it is considered average.
Kong Mingan continued: "The issue of Energy supply is nothing for you. Since you have not yet advanced to Divine Rank, ordinary'standard spirit cores' are enough for you to use."
"Even if you achieve Divine Rank in the future, my 'Divine Kingdom of Order' will grant you access, so the source of Energy will certainly not be a problem."
"Therefore, if you want to accelerate your advancement speed, the key lies in solving the core problem of'slow accumulation of Energy transformation.'"
The Ice Empress, having recovered a bit of strength, raised her eyes and asked, "Then how should we solve it?"
Kong Mingan smiled slightly and uttered two words: "Dual Cultivation."
The Ice Empress's body instantly stiffened.
You bastard, you just want to take advantage of me, don't you!
The Ice Empress glared at Kong Mingan, then looked away, not replying.
Kong Mingan, exasperated, pinched her cheek and said,
"What are you thinking? True Dual Cultivation is a very serious method of Cultivation, alright?"
"The Dual Cultivation method I am referring to is based on the Energy offset and Fusion model of the 'Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well,' combined with the core concept of the 'Yin and Yang Complementary Dual Spirit Cores,' and further enhanced by the in-depth exploration of'simulated Energy' characteristics over this period."
He paused, looking at the Ice Empress's eyes, which, despite her efforts to show "I am listening carefully," still seemed a bit clear and distracted. He thought for a moment and said directly:
"...In short, the principle of the 'Dual Cultivation' method I possess is to use opposing attributes of spirit power to stimulate each other, thereby increasing the efficiency of Energy transformation."
"For example, since you have the Extreme Ice attribute, you only need to rely on a sufficiently powerful and pure fire-attribute spirit power as a catalyst, and operate this method together, which will greatly accelerate your own transformation process."
The Ice Empress's eyes brightened slightly, as if she had seen a shortcut to rapid advancement.
She looked at Kong Mingan, leaned in slightly, and said seriously, "Teach me!"
Kong Mingan merely smiled slightly, then nodded, "Alright."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Ice Empress clearly felt a scorching hot yet vast and pure fire-attribute spirit power rising up beside her.
And the source was Kong Mingan.
"???"
Wait!
This is absolutely not a serious Dual Cultivation!
The next moment, the Ice Empress only felt the person beside her move.
One hand gently pressed down on her shoulder, then, with an undeniable force, pushed her forward.
Before she could even make a sound, her entire body fell backward into the soft bedding.
Her body instantly froze. The Ice Empress's breath hitched, and she stared blankly at the figure looming above her. Her golden eyes trembled slightly due to a certain premonition, and she couldn't help but speak with a tremor:
"You... didn't you say that serious Dual Cultivation wasn't like this?"
Kong Mingan tilted his head, his face displaying a serious expression: "I never said my Dual Cultivation was serious."
The Ice Empress instantly widened her eyes: "No! You lied—mmph—!"
Her words of protest hadn't fully left her mouth before they were completely blocked by a slight coolness, turning into an incomprehensible whimper.
The lights in the room quietly went out.
In the darkness, only the low, lingering whimper of someone stubbornly holding on echoed in the room.
(End of Chapter)
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