Upon hearing these words, the final trace of hesitation in Ye Ling's heart completely vanished.
She no longer hesitated. Activating her source soul, she guided it to flow slowly outward from where their foreheads met.
In the next instant, the souls of the human and the dragon blended together, a faint, tingling warmth flowing between their spirits.
Still young, the little dragon could not suppress the flutter in its heart and let out a soft cry. “It feels so good!”
Ye Ling also felt the gentle warmth of their souls intertwining, but she forced herself to steady her mind and silently endure the sensation.
After an unknown amount of time, the intertwined souls of the dragon and human slowly parted.
Deep within Ye Ling's soul, a subtle connection formed, leading directly to the little dragon before her.
“Sister, can you hear my voice?”
A tender voice echoed directly within her soul. This was one of the benefits of the Lifebound Contract; the two could use soul transmission to communicate anytime, anywhere.
Ye Ling replied through her soul, “I can hear you very clearly.”
The little dragon coiled upward in delight, its body enveloped in a faint green glow.
“The contract succeeded!”
“That means we're partners for life, right?”
Ye Ling's gaze turned solemn, her tone firm. “Yes, we are partners for life.”
Cang Si had trusted her completely without reservation, risking its dragon source and long lifespan to form this contract.
This pure sincerity was something Ye Ling would absolutely never betray.
In the next instant, the True Dragon Unfettered Art within her dantian actually began to circulate on its own, completely out of her control!
Ye Ling was slightly startled. At the source of her soul in her sea of consciousness, the newly formed Lifebound Contract trembled gently.
A slender, pure beam of green light peeled away from the contract mark, merging into the True Dragon true qi circulating within her body.
Buzz.
Like dry earth welcoming a sudden downpour, her True Dragon true qi instantly surged frantically.
Ye Ling had originally estimated that to advance the True Dragon Unfettered Art to the Third Stage, she would need to consume at least five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.
However, with the continuous nourishment from this strand of draconic green light, the resources required for the breakthrough were slashed in half. Now, she only needed two hundred and fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones to step into the Third Stage.
Sensing the change in her cultivation method, the corners of Ye Ling's lips curled into a faint smile as she marveled inwardly.
The benefits brought by this Lifebound Contract far exceeded her expectations.
Beside her, Cang Si was happily swimming in circles in midair. Glimpsing Ye Ling's smiling face, it quickly wiggled its dragon body and drew closer.
“Sister, you look so pretty when you smile. You should smile more in the future.”
Ye Ling was slightly taken aback. Looking into the little dragon's clear, bright eyes, she raised her hand and gently stroked its head.
“Since Cang Si wants to see it, I will smile more from now on.”
As she spoke, her lips curled upward again, blooming into a soft, warm smile.
Cang Si showed a satisfied expression. Having its head caressed by her palm felt so comfortable that its dragon scales relaxed slightly. It continuously rubbed its head against Ye Ling's palm, its nose twitching.
“Wow, Sister, you smell so good!”
“Why does the scent feel even stronger than before?”
Seeing this, Ye Ling had a guess. The unique fragrance surrounding her body was highly likely linked to the True Dragon Unfettered Art.
She did not hide anything. Speaking softly, she detailed her entire experience of climbing the Heavenly Spirit Stairs, meeting the item spirit senior by chance, and obtaining this dragon cultivation method to Cang Si.
Cang Si's eyes sparkled with worship as it listened. “Wow! Sister, you are way too amazing!”
“No one had climbed those nine thousand steps in three hundred years, yet you did it!”
Seeing that this was the first thing it focused on, Ye Ling could no longer suppress the warmth swelling in her heart. She reached out and gently hugged Cang Si to her chest.
Her fingertips gently caressed the green dragon scales. The scales were smooth and cool, feeling exceptionally comfortable to the touch.
Suddenly embraced, Cang Si let out a soft, pleased hum, thoroughly enjoying this intimacy.
“Sister, that means we share a deep fate.”
“Cultivation methods related to the dragon race are already so rare, yet you managed to obtain the True Dragon Unfettered Art.”
Ye Ling looked down at the little green dragon in her arms and replied softly, “Yes, I didn't expect us to have such a deep connection either.”
“If I hadn't obtained the True Dragon Unfettered Art back then, I might not have possessed this scent, and I wouldn't have met you.”
The little green dragon in her arms immediately shook its whiskers and hastily argued back, “Sister, that's not true!”
“The fragrance that attracts me to you doesn't just come from the cultivation method. It's mostly emitted from your innate soul source.”
Cang Si raised its head slightly, sniffing carefully at Ye Ling's shoulder, its clear eyes filled with utmost sincerity.
“I'm telling the truth. I would never lie to you, Sister.”
“Never.”
“Even if you hadn't practiced this cultivation method, I still would have been drawn to your soul's aura and found you sooner or later.”
A warm current surged through Ye Ling's heart upon hearing this. She tightened her arms, hugging Cang Si even closer.
She murmured softly, “So that's how it is... It seems we were destined to meet after all.”
Cang Si curled up comfortably in her embrace, its cool, smooth dragon scales resting against her robes as it let out a low, reassured rumble.
The faint glow of the Lifebound Contract between their souls flickered gently, locking this bond tightly in place.
As if suddenly remembering something incredibly important, the little green dragon wriggled its body and obediently slipped out of Ye Ling's arms.
Ye Ling was slightly startled, a trace of confusion rising in her heart.
Could it be that her way of stroking its scales just now had been too casual?
She had subconsciously used her cat-petting techniques from her past life, forgetting that the creature before her was not an ordinary beast, but a noble and peerless true dragon.
Before she could think further, Cang Si held its head high in midair, looking exactly like it was about to present a grand treasure.
It opened its mouth slightly, and a pristine, translucent, fist-sized orb slowly floated out.
The orb was warm and smooth, circulating with a faint, holy spiritual light. It appeared simple, yet it faintly exuded a profound and all-encompassing aura.
Ye Ling's eyes narrowed. “Cang Si, what is this?”
Cang Si's eyes sparkled, filled with excitement and sincerity, its soft soul transmission bubbling with joy.
“Sister! This is the most precious treasure my parents left for me, the only one I have left!”
“Inject your spiritual energy into it, and you'll know what it does!”
Hearing this, Ye Ling nodded. She raised her hand to gently cradle the white orb and slowly poured a strand of gentle, pure spiritual energy into it.
The moment her spiritual energy entered the orb, a vast and boundless aura of space suddenly rushed over her.
The interior of the white orb actually contained its own world—an endless, independent space with spiritual energy abundant to the absolute limit, several times larger than the Bailing Secret Realm.
Ye Ling was ecstatic, her voice trembling slightly with disbelief. “This... This is an independent secret realm space?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Cang Si circled happily around the orb and quickly explained, “This is an entire, complete secret realm! My parents refined it into the shape of an orb so I can carry it with me!”
To condense a complete secret realm into a mere inch-sized orb was an unimaginable, heaven-defying feat. It was absolutely not something an ordinary cultivator could ever hope to achieve.
Rate on N.U.
