"Strictly speaking, what you should really regret is that you didn't keep cooperating with me just now to practice the dual cultivation method."
Jiang Yan chuckled, tapping the shrine maiden's nose.
"Though I've already lost my primordial yang, your primordial yin was still intact. Once I took it, and with the feedback of the Huangting Jade Scripture's dual cultivation method…"
"Coupled with my cultivation base and the innate yang of my Dao body…"
"It would have been enough to prepare you instantly for tribulation, stepping directly into Spirit Transformation."
The shrine maiden blinked her eyes softly.
"When you put it like that, I suppose it is a bit of a pity."
"There's no need to dwell on it."
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"Right now, a single closed-door session is enough for you to break through to Spirit Transformation. The difference is small. Besides, if you jumped straight into tribulation by skipping a realm…"
"Your foundation would be shallow, unstable, and the tribulation itself far more dangerous."
"After all, this is your first tribulation. It's better to be cautious."
Seeing Jiang Yan earnestly comforting her, the shrine maiden suddenly covered her lips with a giggle and poked him lightly.
"Who ever said that was what I regretted?"
"Then what do you regret?" Jiang Yan asked, confused.
The shrine maiden cast him a meaningful glance, then sighed.
"I was still a maiden before today. But your primordial yang—you gave that away long ago to Sister Ganyu. Shouldn't I regret that?"
At that, Jiang Yan burst into helpless laughter, tapping her nose again.
"Your way of thinking is always so peculiar."
"Shouldn't this be the normal way of thinking?" the shrine maiden retorted, amused.
Perhaps because she hadn't cultivated for long, she couldn't fully understand the instinctive obsession cultivators like Jiang Yan had with everything revolving around cultivation.
For her, though today was the first time she had tasted the pork, she had long since watched the pigs run. For matters like this, wasn't happiness the real concern?
But Jiang Yan could turn even this into an extension of cultivation.
Maybe this was the difference between true cultivators and latecomers like her.
Still…
"Today was very fun," she murmured, gently touching her belly where a faint soreness lingered—though she preferred to call it a sense of accomplishment.
Jiang Yan didn't respond. Instead, he pressed a finger against her disciple token.
"I've added a pass onto your disciple token. From now on, you can freely enter and leave my cave dwelling."
"Really?" The shrine maiden's eyes lit up. "So whenever I miss you, I can come find you?"
Jiang Yan sighed lightly. "Cultivation still comes first."
"Oh, but isn't this also a form of cultivation?" she teased, tilting her head before nestling into his arms with a playful sway.
"Surely Master can still go another round? Why don't we try again, but this time purely for cultivation?"
Truth be told, earlier they had started with dual cultivation, but halfway through abandoned it for sheer pleasure. She had sampled both but not to the fullest, and now—with time, energy, and appetite still remaining—how could she not want more?
Yet Jiang Yan only smiled and pressed her down gently.
"Not today. You still have something you need to do."
"Let me guess…" she grinned. "Master is going to say I should go consolidate my realm, isn't he?"
"No." Jiang Yan shook his head, giving her a meaningful glance.
"You should be thinking about how to face Ganyu. After all… she's standing right outside the door."
The shrine maiden's smile froze instantly.
She had been so caught up in her happiness that she had forgotten—what she had just done was stealing into someone else's home.
And worse, the home she'd stolen into was her "sister's."
Just picturing gentle Ganyu's angry gaze made her temples throb.
If the roles were reversed, she herself would definitely be furious.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Yan still smiling faintly, and a note of grievance crept into her voice.
"Is Master not worried at all that Sister Ganyu might be angry with you?"
"Why should I worry?" he asked simply.
She fell silent. In truth, what could she say?
There was no such thing as monogamy in Teyvat, much less in the cultivation world where the strong dictated morality.
Jiang Yan wasn't even of this world. To him, multiple Dao companions were natural, not shameful.
And knowing Ganyu as she did, she was sure Ganyu had already accepted that Jiang Yan would one day have many Dao partners. With talent like his, how could he not? His bloodline needed to be carried forward.
Still… surely Ganyu hadn't expected her to steal a march this quickly.
Sisterhood betrayed. Morality broken.
Seeing her truly worried, Jiang Yan patted her head gently.
"Don't worry. Ganyu won't scold you too harshly. At most, she'll grumble that you were too fast."
"Now that we've crossed this line, I won't leave you behind."
"But remember—what matters most is cultivation. You need to become immortal as soon as possible. Understood?"
The shrine maiden's eyes shone, and she nodded firmly.
"Even if it's just to stay with you, I'll ascend. I won't make you wait too long…"
Jiang Yan smiled.
"Do you want to consolidate here? With the Enlightenment Tea Tree and Bodhi of Inquiry, it will go quickly."
The shrine maiden hesitated. She wasn't tempted by the sacred plants themselves, only by the chance to linger with Jiang Yan. But remembering Ganyu waiting outside, she finally shook her head.
"I should apologize to Sister Ganyu first…"
Jiang Yan didn't stop her. He still needed time to refine the primordial yin he had gained—it had given him no small benefits.
After exchanging a few whispered words, the shrine maiden reluctantly left his embrace.
With a brave face, she stepped outside—only to find Ganyu staring straight at her.
All her earlier preparations crumbled, leaving her feeling guilty once more.
"Sister Ganyu…"
Ganyu said nothing. She simply stepped forward and examined her closely.
There was no need for questions.
The shrine maiden's cultivation had soared to the peak of Refining Essence into Qi.
Case closed.
Everything had already happened.
Ganyu wanted to scold her. But after a moment's thought, what was the point?
Jiang Yan wasn't bound by Teyvat's rules. He could not be confined by mortal morality.
And truly, the shrine maiden was simply repeating her own path.
After a long silence, Ganyu sighed.
"Let's go home, little sister."
The shrine maiden blinked, startled. "Sister Ganyu, you're not mad?"
"Why should I be?"
Ganyu shook her head gently.
"Even if it hadn't happened now, it would have happened eventually. The difference is only timing. And Master will not cast me aside because he has you. His talent demands many heirs."
Her words were calm, but in her heart, a faint sourness lingered.
"Thank you, Sister Ganyu."
The shrine maiden exhaled in relief, then looped her arm through Ganyu's happily.
The rift between them seemed to vanish, their bond even stronger than before. Now, with both sharing such a secret tie to Jiang Yan, they could confide in each other freely.
Back at the cave, the shrine maiden even eagerly recounted every detail of her experience—from obscure dual cultivation methods Ganyu had never heard of, to the wild abandon when they'd dropped cultivation altogether.
To Ganyu, it was like listening to myths. But to maintain her pride as Jiang Yan's first partner, she forced herself to join the discussion, evaluating each technique as though she had tried it herself—cheeks burning all the while.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan, sensing no conflict between the two, refocused on his cultivation.
The shrine maiden's primordial yin had indeed been extraordinary, giving him a solid push forward. By his estimation, once he made his trip to the Demon-Sealing Tower, he wouldn't be far from breaking into Union of Void and Dao.
Which meant…
He could begin preparing for the final tribulation before immortality.
But the lightning tribulation of Union of Void and Dao…
Even without seeing it, he knew: Teyvat could never withstand it.
Perhaps not even the Mount Shu World.
And this time, the system might not suppress the lightning for him.
So where should he face it?
Most likely, the Sea of Quanta.
The Xuanyin Minor world was technically an option, but that was a demon cultivator's domain—too dangerous to gamble on.
Three days passed in a blink. To cultivators, it was nothing more than closing and opening their eyes. In higher realms, retreats could last centuries without notice.
But to Mount Shu disciples, such long seclusion was still unfamiliar.
During these days, Ningguang and the others had yet to return, but the sect was far from quiet.
Ever since the shrine maiden had "opened the door to a new world," she practically visited Jiang Yan daily for "entertainment."
Spurred by this, Ganyu also came without fail.
Yet none of this hindered Jiang Yan's cultivation—dual cultivation was cultivation, after all.
The shrine maiden, fully awakened, was now a perfect manifestation of the Heavenly Enchantress Physique. Every smile, every gesture, could snare a man's very soul.
For outsiders, though, it became a secret no one could mention aloud.
Zhongli and the others, seeing the shrine maiden suddenly leap to the peak of Refining Essence into Qi, adopted a tacit agreement—not to ask, not to say, not to meddle.
But when Lisa emerged from seclusion and learned of the shrine maiden's meteoric rise, she understood immediately what had happened.
Seeing the shrine maiden radiant and glowing every day made her grind her teeth in envy.
She wanted to follow suit—but with the shrine maiden and Ganyu monopolizing Jiang Yan's time daily, she had no chance.
Thus, Lisa began to grumble.
It was fair that Ganyu had her fill—she had come first, after all, and known Jiang Yan longest.
But the shrine maiden? She came after Lisa! And she was already feasting while Lisa hadn't even gotten a sip of soup.
A fox shouldn't be that selfish!
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