Volume 8, Chapter 489 – What Are You Shy For?

“Can’t you just say what you want directly?”

Qi Huang reflexively asked.

“Stop wasting time. Come or don’t, it’s up to you.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice carried a hint of irritation.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming right away!”

Startled, Qi Huang hastily rushed out of her room.

In the blink of an eye, she was already at the door of her main body’s residence. She raised her hand to knock.

“Just come in. Why drag your feet?”

Cheng Hongling’s impatient voice sounded from inside.

“Yes!”

Qi Huang gave an awkward laugh and quickly pushed the door open. The moment she stepped inside, a refreshingly sweet fragrance enveloped her. A mix of the scent of Golden Fate Blossoms and the natural, delicate aroma of a young woman’s body.

Qi Huang inhaled deeply, savoring the scent, before her gaze swept the room and immediately landed on Cheng Hongling, who was seated in front of the dressing table.

Cheng Hongling sat gracefully with her back to the door, clad only in a translucent gauze robe. Under the glow of the candlelight, the curves of her body were faintly visible beneath the thin fabric. Her fair back was adorned with a slender red ribbon that wrapped from her chest to her waist, tied into an exquisite bow, accentuating her slender, willow-like waist. Below, her hips flared out dramatically, forming a plump, rounded silhouette, so full that they nearly matched the width of her shoulders. From behind, her figure was nothing short of perfection, like an hourglass.

Qi Huang’s breath hitched, her eyes glued to the sight. Though she possessed the exact same figure, the knowledge that this was her main body, the same peerless fairy she had once looked up to with reverence, sent a thrill of excitement coursing through her.

“Close the door.”

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Cheng Hongling ordered without turning her head.

“Oh… right…”

Qi Huang dumbly complied, shutting the door in a daze before awkwardly freezing in place. Timid yet unable to resist staring, that described her current state perfectly.

“Why are you just standing there? Come here!”

Cheng Hongling turned elegantly. Since the gauze robe wasn’t belted, the view of her chest was unobstructed. Her skin, fair as frost and snow, seemed to glow under the delicate red undergarment she wore. The intricate embroidery of roses on the fabric only added to the allure.

Qi Huang’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull, but she quickly averted her gaze, her face flushing visibly. “You—you should at least put on proper clothes first!”

“I’m not embarrassed, so why are you? You’re my doppelgänger. Should I really have to tiptoe around myself?”

Cheng Hongling crossed her legs, swinging one lazily as she continued, “Unless… you don’t actually think of yourself as my doppelgänger?”

Qi Huang was stumped again. After a long internal struggle, she finally sighed in defeat. “Fine, do whatever you want. It’s not like I’m the one at a disadvantage here.”

“Hmph.”

Cheng Hongling smirked in satisfaction before getting to the point. “I called you here to discuss your cultivation issues.”

“What issues? Are you jealous of my cultivation speed? Don’t worry, I still have a few ghost tomatoes left. Want to try again?”

Qi Huang eagerly pulled out a few ghost tomatoes, offering them like a treasure. But the moment her eyes flickered back to Cheng Hongling’s exposed chest, she guiltily looked away again.

“Keep them for your tomato stir-fry!”

Cheng Hongling leaned back slightly, wary, before continuing, “What I mean is, your cultivation has a fundamental problem. Don’t you realize that?”

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Qi Huang fell silent. She knew exactly what her main body was referring to.

“You’ve been focusing solely on refining your Divine Sense while neglecting your True Qi. Sure, your strength has skyrocketed in the short term, but what about the future? Your actual cultivation is only at the Spirit Gathering Realm. As time passes, this body of yours will age… and eventually die.”

Cheng Hongling’s tone was grave.

Qi Huang didn’t argue. She knew this was an undeniable truth.

“But what can I do? I only inherited a face from you, and after that incident with the Qi-Leaking Powder, my cultivation speed has slowed to a crawl. At this rate, I’ll probably never even reach the Body Tempering Realm in this lifetime.”

Qi Huang sighed helplessly. She wanted to improve her cultivation. After all, it directly affected the growth rate of her ghost tomatoes, but the circumstances simply didn’t allow it.

“So we need to find a solution. We can’t just sit around waiting.”

Cheng Hongling stated firmly.

“I’ve thought about it. There’s actually a simple way to fix this. Once you reach the Divine Ability Realm, you can just recreate a stronger body for me. We can keep doing that as long as your cultivation grows fast enough. That way, I won’t have to worry about aging to death.”

Qi Huang voiced her idea.

“The Divine Realm?”

Cheng Hongling let out a noncommittal laugh. “Do you realize I’m only at the Incarnation Realm’s second layer right now? Each subsequent layer will require exponentially more time and effort. Reaching the Divine Realm will take at least two hundred years. But with your Spirit Gathering Realm cultivation, your lifespan won’t exceed a hundred and fifty years. Do you really think you’ll live long enough to see that day?”

Qi Huang was speechless. She was no novice, she knew her main body wasn’t exaggerating. Once a cultivator reached the Incarnation Realm, the difficulty of advancement was incomparable to earlier stages. Even with all the resources Qi Huang could provide, it would still take Cheng Hongling decades, if not longer, to reach the Divine Realm.

“There’s too much going on right now. Let’s think about it later.”

Qi Huang mused after a brief silence.

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“Later? Do you know I’m already eighteen? That means your body is eighteen too. Once a girl passes this age, her body stops growing and starts aging instead. If we ignore this, the gap between our appearances will only widen. I don’t want to walk around with a wrinkly doppelgänger by my side.”

Cheng Hongling pressed relentlessly. After all, women cared deeply about their looks.

“Then what do you suggest? I’ve got no ideas!”

Qi Huang plopped onto a chair, giving up entirely.

“I actually have a way to speed up my cultivation!”

Cheng Hongling’s lips curled smugly.

“What way?”

Qi Huang perked up instantly.

“The Doppelgänger Exchange Method!”

Cheng Hongling replied mysteriously.

“Doppelgänger Exchange Method? Never heard of it. How does it work?”

Qi Huang blinked in confusion.

“Let me ask you this, what factors determine an ordinary cultivator’s cultivation speed? I’m talking about normal cultivators, not your unorthodox shortcuts.”

Cheng Hongling countered with a question of her own.

“Bloodline, cultivation techniques, and innate talent.”

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Qi Huang answered without hesitation, then added, “Oh, and Divine Sense.”

“Exactly. Bloodline determines a cultivator’s starting point, techniques dictate their path, and talent decides how far they can go. As for Divine Sense, its strength determines their speed, because True Qi circulation within the body is guided by Divine Sense. The faster the True Qi flows, the quicker one absorbs spiritual energy.”

Cheng Hongling explained patiently.

Qi Huang nodded reflexively. This was common knowledge among cultivators.

“And right now, your Divine Sense has already reached the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. If you were to take control of my body for cultivation, my progress would increase at least tenfold.”

Cheng Hongling’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“That makes sense!”

Qi Huang’s eyes lit up, but then she frowned. “But the problem is, I’m just one of your seven corporeal souls, the Spiritual Wisdom Soul. How can I take over your body?”

“That’s where the Doppelgänger Exchange Method comes in. In the cultivation world, there exists a technique that allows the Life Soul and the three ethereal souls to temporarily swap places.”

Cheng Hongling dropped the bombshell.

“Really? That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Qi Huang was overjoyed. If this method truly worked, she could maximize her assistance in boosting her main body’s strength.

“Because there’s a prerequisite to performing the Doppelgänger Exchange Method.”

Cheng Hongling hesitated before continuing.