Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 734: False Paths



Now that other things were in order, Wu Long finally had some time, place and peace of mind to put effort into resolving his personal problems.

Walking around in less than perfect condition was not the best idea, he knew better than anyone how dangerous that can be. And though he knew that sometimes it was inevitable, as it was not always up to him, and even though he had experienced it countless times, he still didn't like the feeling it gave him.

He was at the top floor of a tower located among the highest on the mountain, that had large windows in all of the walls, basically making the whole floor more akin to a gazebo than a room, with a view of the surrounding mountain range and the valley below.

There was a separate concealing formation that allowed one to look outside but only showed an empty room if looked from the outside.

Wu Long was sitting in a lotus pose, and examining the Celestial Core that he formed not long ago.

He had a feeling that the answer to resolve his incomplete focus and hazy consciousness was in completing that Core that was technically in a state of the gate of the Core Reformation Realm.

Meaning he still had to go through with reforming it nine times and then push it even further into Mortal Transcendence, since only at that realm any Core was considered truly complete. There was one worry that he had, which was achieving Mortal Transcendence with the core he did not create to be his main. There was no rule that said that the Celestial Core could not be the main one, as far as he knew there were barely any rules and he was creating them as he went.

But the Celestial Core was created as an emergency, and thus lacked the careful planning and perfectionist touch that were given to the creation of his Crystal Core.

'Of course, there's no guarantee that even if one of the Cores achieves the state of Mortal Transcendence, that I will achieve that Cultivation Realm. But it's still risky to ignore the possibility that it would happen with the Celestial Core', he thought.

Thus the prudent thing to do was to first complete his Crystal Core which now was in a state after 2nd reformation, and then adjust the Celestial Core with less worries.

However, even if he decided on that course of action, he still had one more problem with the Celestial Core, 'either because it is formed with Fen Baihu's Yin Qi or because it took on the role of being the medium of Celestial Fox bloodline's power, it doesn't respond to any other Yin Qi no matter what I try now'

He opened his eyes, looking in front of him.

Fen Baihu was in her small fox form, sitting opposite of him, ready to help with any insight into her bloodline.

"It seems I need your Yin Qi", he told her straight, as surprise appeared in her eyes.

"Heh, want to try getting it from me now?", he could tell her expression turning into a mischievous one even in her fox form.

"Hahaha, I'm afraid I don't possess such peculiar hobbies", he chuckled in response, shaking his head.

"Oh my, the mighty God of Pleasure can't satisfy a Mythical or Spiritual Beast that cannot take a human form? What about a Dragon, an Elemental, or a Demon? Perhaps someone from a non-human race should claim that title then...", she spoke while standing up and leisurely walking up to him, her eight tails swaying from side to side as the little fox confidently arrived before him.

"Hahaha, perhaps you are right, since my range is quite limited", he only lightly laughed, since he did not care much about that title, but then added, "Though, if only to clear the misunderstanding, I didn't say I can't do it, it is just that I have preferences"

"Oh? You can do it then?", her eyes filled with curiosity, and the next moment, her figure morphed into a swirling mysterious mist with glowing particles, that very smoothly transitioned into her human form standing three steps away from him, half-turned to him, and looking down to meet his eyes since he was still sitting in the lotus pose.

And yet, those relative positions failed to make much difference, as even as she physically looked down to meet his eyes, she didn't feel any superiority in stance, rather, as his pose relaxed and he sat back, slightly leaning back, supporting himself with one arm placed behind, he looked like he was relaxed while she was standing at attention before him.

"I told you, there are many ways to Dual Cultivate, it does not always require intercourse in its original form. Just like I entangled my Yang Qi in its energy form with your Yin Qi the last time, that method could be used to cultivate between a male and female as well, it is one of many. Though it requires significant skill from at least one of the participants, using that way, those of different species can indeed Dual Cultivate without polymorphy, since it is just manipulation of Yin and Yang Qi. I just find that approach lacking a personal connection", he shrugged his shoulders, as her eyes widened.

"So... you didn't need to actually embrace me?", she asked with shock, only now realizing something she should have thought of when he demonstrated her that ability before. "Technically, no. We did not even need to be directly touching each other or that close to be able to cultivate with that method, we could have been sitting on two ends of a room. You would have still lost your Pure Yin Qi though, and still felt pleasure, all that would have changed is the method, the implications of doing it and the result would not", he nodded, since there was technically no difference either way in the meaning of losing one's innocence, the difference was purely in the experience.

"But still...", she spoke in a bit of confusion, since if they used that method, she would not have been that swayed by it like she was last time.

"I did that in order for you to experience what Dual Cultivation is in its origin before you formed a mindset toward it, and for the same reason I was so aggressive in the beginning of our cultivation session, not letting you keep your head cool. As I told you back then, Dual Cultivation emphasizes passion, intensity, and being fully present just as much, if not more, as it values knowledge and technique. It is about connection, without it, there is only empty pleasure, or even worse, just cultivation", he spoke in his usual calm tone, but she could feel his sincerity.

"Think about it, had we used that method not needing physical touch, or if we just sat in a lotus position while I was inside you and silently cultivated in that state without moving, which is also a viable option, would you have been better off, not knowing that Dual Cultivation could be the way I showed it to you?", he then asked, and she couldn't give an

answer.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Not because she didn't know it, but because admitting it was somehow embarrassing. She realized that, now that she knew how it felt to Dual Cultivate with him the way he showed her, there was no way she would exchange that for more formal ways to do it that he was talking

about.

"I think, I understand... Still, you're the one to talk about it being more about passion than technique, given that you are the most skilled Dual Cultivator that ever lived in the Current Era, and although it cannot be verified, many of your fans used to claim that the same is true for the Ancient Era as well", she then said as it was something that had lingered on her mind. She plopped down to sit in a lotus pose in front of him as she felt no meaning in trying to continue that subtle power play. She wasn't winning anyway.

"Haha, do you know why I have not released the last four Paths of Pleasure that I told you about last time to the public?", he suddenly asked with a wry smile.

"Because... it's your secret, like a personal technique that you didn't want others to have?"

"If that was true I wouldn't have released the first three, or left only one to myself, why would

I hold back four?"

"Then, they are too effective and that could cause problems if misused in wrong hands?"

"Yes, that is part of it, and that is the official reason I usually give, but there is more. In fact what you said before is partially true, the fourth path is my own unique technique. But apart from some segments, the last three are for the most part a failure", he chuckled, causing her

to widen her eyes.

"F-failure?", she asked again with a shocked voice.

"Mm", he nodded, "I call them False Paths. They are too much of a 'technique', if you will"

"Too much of a... technique?", she tilted her head.

"Yes, it is no longer in the realm of being just a method to give pleasure. The latter paths are

all about knowledge of how to 'induce' pleasure, and not about connection or effort to get there. At that level of technique, you just get instant results without the process", he patiently explained as she tried to understand.

And then, seeing her still struggling to picture what he was saying, he added, "Think of it like this, if I made you instantly climax just by poking you with my finger, no matter where it would land, if the feeling of pleasure was 'instantly created', or if you started climaxing the moment I entered you without any prelude, and then only experienced the peaks of pleasure right from the start, and this continued for the entire cultivation session, would you still call

that Dual Cultivating?"

She shuddered at that thought.

"Your reaction is entirely correct", he nodded seeing her expression, "even if you could

endure that kind of experience, it still would feel artificial, and quite empty, because there was no process to get there. It is instant gratification at its purest. You might get addicted to it, and crave it, but it would be an addiction akin to any other one, there would no longer be the essence of what makes Dual Cultivation special"

"A touch on your cheek, the sensation of hot breath on your skin, the sound of your partner's

breathing in your ear, shifting tone of voice, exchange of looks, acute realization of being together, the sensation of hands sliding on the skin, warmth of two bodies, a foreplay that ignites the passion, tongue gently sliding atop a sensitive spot, and an accumulation of experiences leading to eventual climax", as he spoke in a rather monotone voice, she felt something heating up within her.

"Even a quickie has its build up. Sometimes sex is just sex, even between loving partners, but even then, it does not just start from the peak, only the pace and contents change, but not the essence of it", he added, admitting that there was not only one way to be intimate. "Just arriving at the final destination without any process is skipping all the best things. A pleasure only feels right because it was given with appropriate time and effort. A climax is only a good climax because of all the things that come before, and the longer the buildup, the more you hold it in, or the more intense the way there is, the sweeter it tastes. The latter three paths for the most part are not even really about real pleasure, they're just a way to induce extreme pleasure and climax using knowledge and technical skill, in a sense they 'create' pleasure where it does not naturally exist", he concluded, admitting something he rarely spoke about.

"But... couldn't you then use them at the end, or at the moment of climax?", she asked.

"Haha, why would you want to spoil the natural pleasure that you gave with a touch, or a natural climax that grew out of a progression, with a heightened artificial one? It would just diminish it, not bring it up", his light laugh told her that he actually did consider it once.

"I thought... that as cultivators got into higher realms their tolerance for both pain and pleasure goes up, no? Plus those who adapted to extreme pleasure can grow numb to it...", Fen Baihu then shifted focus to another aspect.

"That is true, but that doesn't mean the first three paths don't work anymore. In fact, I can make someone in higher realms have a good time with just the first path. There can be a bit of challenge when dealing with someone who is too far apart in realms or with particularly strong tolerance or numbness to pleasure, but even then, the second and third path were created with exactly that in mind, if you know those two, you can give anyone the highest of pleasure. It's just level of skill. Blaming it on the technique lacking 'strength' is simply escapism. Just like I could satisfy you even with your tolerance of a cultivator at the peak of the cultivation in Seven Boundless Worlds", Wu Long nodded, seeing her logic. After all, while her injury caused her to have less endurance and lowered the quality of her Yin Qi, her tolerance to pleasure and pain weren't affected.

'Besides, the fourth path's specialty is exactly leveling the playing field in terms of sensitivity', he added inwardly, since there was no woman who could claim to be numb to the pleasure of the fourth path.

In fact, much like with his combat strength, Wu Long didn't consider his achievements in

Dual Cultivation final. There was always room for improvement. It was why there were 6th and 7th paths after the 5th one turned to be mostly a failure, he was still in search of greater heights. But since his reincarnation, he noticed that his thinking might have been flawed. In creating the latter paths, including the unfinished 8th path he was working on, he was always searching for new things, instead of improving what he already had. Thus, he was currently revisiting the first Three Paths of Pleasure, and already saw things he could improve. Fen Baihu became silent, sinking into thought. She now realized the reason he considered the

last three paths a pleasure, although he did say that there were some segments that were not. She also finally got a clue to at least partially understanding why Wu Long didn't truly acknowledge the title of God of Pleasure. It focused only on the pleasure, as if that was all that Dual Cultivation was, ignoring the part about connection and intimacy.

"Haa~, I think I understand now", she sighed, standing up, "so, shall we go to cultivate now

then?"

But Wu Long didn't move from his spot and didn't show any signs of starting, raising his

eyebrow, "Why go anywhere?"

She first froze, and then remembering how little he cared about the place as long as they were not disturbed, shook her head with a wry smile.