.......
'I don't think I will go through a full body transformation like I did with my last few breakthroughs...' Azmond thought to himself while preparing to bridge the gap between the 9th and 10th Stages of Quantum Qi Condensation.
'I have a feeling that my body has already reached full maturity and doesn't need any more major transformations to handle the exponential growth each of my future breakthroughs will require.'
After coming to this conclusion, inside his mind, he said, 'I should just directly receive the boons from the breakthrough and the massive increase to my physical strength, the same as all my previous breakthroughs in the Quantum Qi Condensation Realm, except I won't have to go inside that annoying cocoon where I'm left unconscious and defenseless for weeks on end.'
Azmond clicked his tongue a little when he thought about the galaxy cocoon that always trapped him inside of it.
......
'I'm already taking a risk by breaking through with My Little Ice Flower left completely defenseless down there... I wish I had some awareness of what was occurring around me right now...' Azmond thought with furrowed brows.
Defenseless Ice Flower, he says...
'I knew I should've added a few hundred more protective barriers around Crystalline... This is what I get for not being cautious enough...'
He was thinking in the complete opposite direction of where he should be right now…
Instead of this nonsense, Azmond should be more concerned about his current breakthrough that he blitzed through with the price of experiencing pain thousands of times greater than any normal cultivator would during a breakthrough in the Qi Condensation Realm…
Although it didn't seem like he cared a single bit about the extreme pain that coursed through his body nonstop whilst cultivating…
And all of this was to say that Crystalline was the one who was less likely to die of the two of them…
.......
Azmond created the barriers around her with the very essence of his soul, preventing even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from touching a hair on Crystalline's head. (Non-harmful to him unless he takes it overboard.)
Azmond, on the other hand, had no such protection on his body. He gave all the essence that could provide any sort of protection to His Little Ice Bunny. And yet, he didn't think once about using some of the soul essence to protect himself. (Not that he needed it in the slightest...)
On the previous note, he wanted to instead use even more of his essence, connected to his very existence, to make even more spiritual Qi barriers around Crystalline.
Such an act would cause severe soul damage backlash on Azmond that would require high-tier soul-related recovery spiritual herbs or a top-level healer to fully recover from—an almost impossible task for the current Azmond to fulfill.
'Tsk! Next time, I will use up all of my essence to protect My Little Ice Bunny,' he thought with a small disappointed sneer aimed at himself as he talked about risking his life just to add more unnecessary barriers around the woman he loves…
'Who even needs all this soul essence anyway?'
(You do…)
'I will do just that later, when I check on the current condition of my Little Snowflake.'
Azmond already knew what he'd do after finishing this breakthrough as he clenched his fists until blood drew before focusing back on the breakthrough.
(Please don't do that…) The Author begged.
.....
'I can feel the breakthrough coming to an end. It should be done and gone in just a few more minutes...'
Azmond's thoughts resounded inside his head as the Qi around him started to gather in absurd amounts, all being constantly absorbed by him in order to achieve a perfect foundation with his new breakthrough.
.....
Ten minutes later.
Azmond had officially entered the 10th Stage of Quantum Qi Condensation!
"This breakthrough has been quite profitable." His thoughts leaked as he scanned the inside of his body to check on his recent gains.
What he saw were 10,000 Qi Cyclones orbiting around his massive Dantian.
9,000 of those 10,000 Qi Cyclones were a gigantic 300 meters in diameter, and the last 1,000 were the usual 1 inch in diameter that every 1,000 new Qi Cyclones always had when he broke through.
Furthermore, his Dantian had grown considerably, as it was now over 1,500 meters in diameter!!
Azmond's boons from this breakthrough were a major step forward on his path to gaining more power, as his overall strength had fully stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm even without using his Quantum Gate skill!
.......
"I am confident that I can beat that giant green piggy with one hand behind my back if we were to fight again right here and now..."
Azmond's smile widened a little when he thought about fighting that fat green pig again.
"Though I wouldn't do that without fully ensuring the safety of my little Ice Roll first..."
His creepy expression quickly calmed once he thought about Crystalline again…
She seemed to be the only thing that could attenuate to his battle maniac side without even doing anything…
........
"Speaking of my Ice Queen, where is she...?" Azmond looked down at the spot where he left her but couldn't see her adorable sleeping face anywhere within view.
"...Did she get in trouble while I was breaking through..."
After this theory planted itself inside his mind, he said, "I knew a few dozen measly barriers were not enough! Dammit!"
Azmond's thoughts went toward the worst possible outcome as he started to freak out a little.
(This scene is quite a familiar one, huh? I guess two birds of a feather do end up thinking alike once they spend enough time together...)
......
"..."
Azmond was about to freak the hell out when he suddenly saw something in the corner of his eye hurtling toward him.
"Is that someone's black rocket...?" He asked himself as the shine within his eyes came back in a bombastic fashion.
"AZZMMOONDD~~!!!!!" A loud feminine voice resounded across the high skies as Crystalline was seen darting at speeds that caused sonic booms to trail off behind her.
"Yep, that is my little black rocket~," Azmond said with a small smile on his face as he spread out his arms, ready to receive the full extent of the flying bundle of love that was launching straight toward him.
"Come on, My Love~!!" He suddenly felt a heavy impact hit him directly in the chest as a beautiful girl, who could woo even an eunuch's heart, was already snuggling right up to his chest with tears streaming down her face.
......
"A-AzMooNd I-I... I Thought I loSt You!!" Crystalline murmured in a small voice between tears as she clung even harder to Azmond.
However, this moment didn't last for long, as...
"Don't You Dare Leave Me Behind Ever Again!!!" She shouted with a vicious glare focused on him.
And as if the goddess of mood swings had inhabited her voluptuous body, her sad face quickly turned into one of anger as she started to beat Azmond with her small hands.
Nonetheless, in spite of the 'soft' hits raining down on him, Azmond simply coddled the women while saying, "I know, My Little Ice Flower~ I won't leave you behind ever again~"
He tenderly petted the beauty while she kept on hitting him with the full force of the Late-Golden Core Realm.
A few seconds of this passed before...
"I LOVE YOU, AZMOND~~!"
There was yet another flip of her emotional state as she initiated a wet and intense kiss with his mouth while pulling on his robe collar.
'Such an adorable little creature she is~' Azmond thought.
His small smile had already turned into one full of intense love for the beautiful woman who was passionately making out with him.
........