**Chapter 19: Going Beyond**
"Gu Ziyi!"
Bai Lu immediately looked at Gu Ziyi.
"Okay, I won't say anything more. I've forgotten what Tang Yuehua just did!"
"Since you're members of the Haotian Sect, you must have at least one advanced meditation technique. So, I won't teach you the technique I created myself. I don't think you'll need it!"
Gu Ziyi laughed and quickly changed the subject.
"You'd better know that!"
Bai Lu said angrily, as she simply couldn't stand seeing Gu Ziyi flirting with her cousin.
As for the advanced meditation technique created by him, neither she nor Tang Yuehua needed it for sure.
"Well, I'll take my leave for now. Tang Yuehua, just practice as I told you. If you have any doubts, you can come to me anytime!"
Seeing that the atmosphere wasn't good at the moment, Gu Ziyi decisively left the scene.
"Look how proud he is. Cousin, you were too impulsive. No matter how excited you are about the success, you can't act so impulsively..."
Bai Lu pursed her lips while watching Gu Ziyi leave, then scolded Tang Yuehua for her behavior.
"Yes, I know, cousin..."
"I was just too excited earlier..."
Tang Yuehua blushed and admitted her mistake.
Her heart couldn't help but beat faster when she thought about how she had kissed Gu Ziyi earlier.
"Cousin, are you in love with him?"
When Bai Lu saw her cousin's behavior, her expression suddenly became serious.
"I... I don't know!"
Tang Yuehua's face turned even redder, as if her thoughts had been seen through.
By the way Bai Lu was looking at her, it was clear that her cousin likely had strong feelings for Gu Ziyi.
Besides, he also looked quite handsome and had been the only male friend her cousin had in all these years. Plus, he had helped her solve her problem of not being able to cultivate, so it was natural that her cousin might fall for him.
"Cousin, don't forget you are the eldest daughter of the leader of the Haotian Sect. The sect won't approve of this!"
After realizing her cousin's feelings, Bai Lu quickly reminded her of her identity.
"I... I know..." Tang Yuehua's face suddenly turned pale when she heard her cousin's words.
She was well aware of this problem, but she simply couldn't control the emotions in her heart!
She had been harboring feelings for Gu Ziyi for a long time!
If he hadn't helped her resolve her cultivation problem, she might have been able to control herself. However, after Gu Ziyi helped her overcome that obstacle, Tang Yuehua realized she could no longer contain her passion for him.
But she also knew very well that it would be difficult for the sect to accept Gu Ziyi.
Thinking about this, Tang Yuehua became flustered in her thoughts.
Seeing her cousin's expression, Bai Lu couldn't bear to say anything more. She didn't want to see her cousin upset, so as long as her cousin understood the situation, she didn't need to mention it again.
She believed her cousin would be able to control herself.
"Cousin, now that you can cultivate, should we return to the sect?"
"We should share this good news with my uncle and the others in the sect. I believe they'll be thrilled to hear it too!"
Soon, Bai Lu asked her cousin about returning to the sect.
"... I don't want to!"
When Tang Yuehua heard Bai Lu's suggestion, her first reaction was to refuse.
She also wanted to return immediately and share the good news with her father, elder brother, second brother, and the others.
However, when she heard Bai Lu's words, her first thought was that she would have to be separated from Gu Ziyi, so she instinctively rejected the idea of going back.
"...Cousin, I'm not sure if my cultivation problem has truly been resolved. What if other obstacles arise during my practice?"
"It would only make my father and the others happy for nothing. I don't want to disappoint them again!"
"So cousin, let's not go back for now. Let's wait until I... until I reach Level 10 and am sure my cultivation is truly progressing before we return..."
Tang Yuehua quickly came up with a reasonable excuse, one that she felt was well-justified.
"...Alright, then we'll wait until you reach Level 10 before going back!"
Bai Lu looked into Tang Yuehua's eyes and couldn't bring herself to refuse her cousin's request.
And what her cousin said made sense. It wasn't clear if there would be any issues with her cultivation. Bai Lu thought that as long as her cousin was here, they could always seek Gu Ziyi's help if necessary.
Unconsciously, she also felt more confident in his wisdom—at least more so than the elders in the sect who couldn't solve her cousin's problem.
Of course, it was only in certain aspects that she had this confidence, specifically in regard to Tang Yuehua's cultivation issue.
"Great! Thank you, cousin!"
After hearing Bai Lu's agreement, Tang Yuehua suddenly smiled happily.
...
Over the following period, Gu Ziyi could clearly feel the change in Tang Yuehua's attitude toward him.
She always stayed close to him.
Gu Ziyi naturally understood what it meant when that happened.
But just as he was about to take advantage of the moment and win over Tang Yuehua completely, Bai Lu guarded her cousin closely, as if she had predicted his move, preventing him and Tang Yuehua from ever being alone together.
After several attempts to find an opportunity, he realized that Tang Yuehua was also cooperating with Bai Lu and actively avoiding being alone with him, giving him no further chances. So, Gu Ziyi temporarily gave up his pursuit.
He turned his focus back to cultivation.
After realizing that his advanced meditation technique had the ability to improve the quality of Soul Rings, Gu Ziyi began actively trying to control the process that led to this improvement during his practice.
Shifting from the passive improvement brought by the advanced meditation technique to an active enhancement was something he wanted to achieve with his technique.
Unfortunately, there was little progress, and Gu Ziyi could only improve the quality of his Soul Ring while practicing his advanced meditation technique.
During this time, Tang Yuehua had no problems with her cultivation. According to the method he had taught her, although each cultivation session required her to first exhaust her Soul Power, which was quite tiring, she still used this method to gradually improve her Soul Power step by step.
Four months later, Gu Ziyi's Soul Power level reached Level 14.
After mastering the advanced meditation technique, his cultivation speed had increased slightly.
And Tang Yuehua, whom Gu Ziyi had always kept an eye on, finally reached Level 10 one day after he reached Level 14.
"Gu Ziyi, I... I reached Level 10..."
"Thank you, Gu Ziyi. If it weren't for you, I might never have been able to become a Soul Master in this life..."
After her breakthrough, Tang Yuehua sought out Gu Ziyi in the library and immediately threw herself into his arms, excitedly sharing the good news with him.
Her achievements today were also Gu Ziyi's.
"A breakthrough?"
"That's wonderful!"
Gu Ziyi held Tang Yuehua, his arms wrapped around her back, and smiled tenderly when he heard the good news she had shared with him.
As he held her in his arms, Gu Ziyi realized that Bai Lu didn't seem to be following her.
He immediately understood that this was his chance.
"Gu Ziyi!"
But before he could make his move, Tang Yuehua lifted her head from his arms and gazed at him with eyes full of tenderness.
He looked down at her expression. How could he leave her waiting with that look?
"Mm~"
Tang Yuehua let out a soft sound, and the next moment, her hands tightened around Gu Ziyi.
...
(End of the chapter)
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