88 Comrades in Dual Cultivation [Two Chapters Combined—Please Subscribe!]

Aft cabin of the Leonine.

On the makeshift mini volleyball court, the ball flew relentlessly, the turbulence never ceasing. Shouts echoed with exertion, sweat streaming like rain. In the end, Lu Chen delivered on his promise, successfully pummeling Gloria and Ellie with the volleyball. Gloria was his main target, of course, for he played separately from his exosuit.

Two against two was only fair. The Treasure-Hunting Armor, being so massive, could barely move, but once it stood in place, its defensive range was formidable. Only the spots the armor couldn’t reach were left for Lu Chen’s true body to strike. And Lu Chen, after all, was invisible...

Naturally, there was another key reason Lu Chen could win so easily: only Gloria was genuinely trying to beat him, while Ellie was secretly holding back.

The inevitable result was Gloria being thoroughly thrashed. This ship volleyball match, after all, didn’t allow swimsuits for the players. Yet even so, Gloria’s athletic outfit was nearly torn into swimwear by the relentless assault of the ball.

She surrendered before her clothes could give way completely. Hugging her torn, revealing top, Gloria’s face was flushed with anger and humiliation as she shouted at Ellie, “Ellie, what on earth were you doing? You played so fiercely against me before, why did you suddenly go soft?”

Ellie looked small, pitiful, and helpless. “Sorry, Gloria... The captain was invisible. I’m most afraid of invisible perverts.”

Gloria was stunned into silence, unable to reply.

Lu Chen, meanwhile, was thoroughly satisfied. “Enough, your great captain has won. Winner bathes first, so you’ll have to wait.”

With that, he strode off to the bathing chamber, staking a strong claim on Gloria’s beloved bathtub. He used her shampoo and body wash, put on her waterproof headphones to listen to music, and even reached for her hair removal cream... No, perhaps not that. Wait, do succubi even have body hair apart from their heads? Lu Chen felt a little disillusioned. Could it be that fairies... have bodily functions too? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Lu Chen refused to accept it.

He took a closer look and soon relaxed. It wasn’t hair removal cream, but magic-suppressing balm, disguised in a hair removal cream bottle to avert suspicion. His faith was restored.

In his eyes, Gloria might be brash and foul-mouthed, but at least her body was fragrant. Otherwise, how could he put up with her?

At that moment, a still-fuming Gloria, dragging Ellie with her, charged into the bathing chamber. She couldn’t let Lu Chen defile her bathtub! That would be no different from defiling her body!

Yet, when she flung open the door, she was dumbfounded. Lu Chen was nowhere to be seen.

Bathhouse, invisibility...

Both Gloria and Ellie instantly thought of all the wrong things. With a scream, they dashed back out as fast as they could.

In the cockpit, a still-shaken Ellie tried to comfort Gloria, “Let’s just drop it, Gloria. We can’t outmatch a pervert.”

“Just you wait. I’ll deal with him,” Gloria replied, glancing down at her chest—her swimsuit torn, her flesh bruised red by flying volleyballs, even her ribs aching. She couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for herself, muttering, “That pervert didn’t even glance my way, just kept hitting me. What use is having a big chest?”

Ellie, ever thoughtful, tried to console her, “That’s only because you didn’t use your succubus powers.”

Gloria, feeling as if Ellie implied she hadn’t given her all, retorted, “You didn’t transform either. If you became a wolf, he’d be so distracted he couldn’t possibly win.”

Ellie shuddered, rendered speechless for a long moment.

And so, the Leonine left the Thousand Island Sea, embarking once more on its journey of adventure. Its destination: the ancestral Ansa planetary belt, home to the Behemoth Paradise. The route would take about another week.

But Lu Chen was in no hurry. The Leonine drifted leisurely along a winding course, savoring the sights along the way, unwilling to miss any treasure.

Interstellar travel was very quiet. Even though the Pangu Corridor was the most crowded, perilous, pirate-infested region in the galaxy, space was still vast, still empty. Most of the time the voyage was marked only by minor turbulence, passing by black hole accretion disks, storm nebulae, or the occasional supernova—common sights in the universe. Except near inhabited star systems, it was rare to encounter other ships.

Which was why, even though Lu Chen’s cheat could let him travel alone, he still had two beautiful teammates.

Occasional volleyball matches weren’t bad at all. Otherwise, he feared he’d eventually give the ship’s autopilot a personality, fall in love with his own ship, and end up doing something as absurd as that Indian fellow with the car’s exhaust pipe. The thrusters of a starship were no joke—they could kill.

The Leonine cruised quietly through the star-speckled void, its immense tail thrusters spewing streams of spirit energy at temperatures of millions of degrees Celsius.

Inside the ship, since losing to Lu Chen, Gloria had lost interest in changing clothes, putting on makeup, or admiring herself in the mirror. She wore VR gaming glasses all day, sprawled on her gaming chair, arms waving as she relentlessly practiced beach volleyball.

Ellie was always engrossed in her studies, occasionally rising to test some summoning spell. At every new planet, she collected all manner of strange flora and fauna and studied various mystical arts. Her ecological glass tank on the windowsill had seen countless cycles of prosperity. Yet, no matter how lively, the ecosystem always collapsed into war due to space constraints and quickly withered. She wondered, if the tank were just a little bigger, might it one day evolve a miniature civilization?

Meanwhile, Lu Chen was preparing for his breakthrough. He was determined to reach level thirty in one go.

Level thirty—the so-called Stellar Guardian’s power—was the minimal force posted by a secondary or tertiary Imperial alliance in any inhabited star system. It was also the Adventurers’ Guild’s recommended entry-level threshold: without a level-thirty ship, exosuit, or teammate, passing the Seafarer Port’s flight assessment was almost impossible.

For Lu Chen, level thirty meant catching up to the ship and exosuit in power, being able to manipulate spiritual energy with ease even in extreme situations, and more easily cloaking both exosuit and ship in total invisibility.

Yet, progressing from level twenty-nine to thirty was nothing like Ellie’s breezy breakthroughs—it was much harder. Lu Chen made meticulous preparations. For the first time, he followed the cultivation method, spent two days in seclusion, regulated his breath, and adjusted his mind and body.

He synchronized himself completely with the Shadow Whale Pearl, making it a part of himself rather than just an external aid. Without the power of Universal Resonance, this would have been impossible.

This led him to suspect that the lone Gray Crow woman who’d given him the pearl was no ordinary person.

He readied all his elixirs, even preparing herbs for a medicinal bath.

In the bathing chamber, Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the infused water, a towel draped over his lower half, dried herbs floating on the surface. But as he prepared to replenish his energy and make his breakthrough, Gloria, unlike before, showed no intention of cooperating—she seemed determined to keep him guessing.

She perched on the edge of the tub, bundled up in a thick sweater and scarf, wrists and neck wrapped to completely hide her veins. With one hand, she idly stirred the herbs, the other tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, her luminous gaze shimmering with a rare look of grievance.

“Now you need me?” she pouted. “You certainly didn’t hold back with those spikes during the match, but when serving to Ellie, your shots were so gentle.”

Lu Chen hadn’t expected this act and could only reply, “Well, you’ve got the chest for it—you can take it.”

“I can’t! It hurt so much...” Gloria whined, rubbing her ribs in a show of girlish petulance.

Lu Chen thought: the succubus is about to make her move.

“What, are you trying to act cute with me now?”

“Of course,” Gloria pouted. “I gave you the captain’s seat. Who knew you’d ignore me once your wings grew strong?”

Lu Chen understood the logic, but how was he supposed to respond to tough words in such a soft, spoiled tone?

“Alright, I’ll give you another hundred spirit stones.” He stuffed a small pouch into her hands.

Gloria looked genuinely surprised—her act had worked even better than expected. Still, even as a succubus, she struggled to maintain the act for long; she wasn’t quite that skilled yet. Despite the bribe, her appetite was unsated.

“Are you treating me like a child? Why don’t you try that magic cat and see if its blood helps your cultivation?”

Of course, Lu Chen had tried. The answer: it had no effect whatsoever.

Clearly, Gloria was special. She wasn’t an ordinary succubus; her physique and swordsmanship talent were top-tier—her cultivation aptitude even surpassed Ellie’s. That was why, despite her foolishness and recklessness, she’d survived this long.

Lu Chen’s choice of Gloria as a teammate was fated—a mutual journey.

Since Gloria could act cute, Lu Chen could be gentle too.

He gazed into Gloria’s luminous eyes. “Do you think I’d set my sights on just any magical creature? To me, you’re unique, irreplaceable.”

As he spoke, he slipped her another hundred spirit stones.

Gloria, collecting her payment, looked utterly blissful. “So you do have a way with words...”

Lu Chen pressed his advantage. “Besides, my blood helps you suppress your magic. Strictly speaking, we’re mutually assisting each other. When I grow stronger, won’t I take you along for the ride? I admit I was too rough earlier—come, where does it hurt? Let Daddy give you a massage.”

He slipped her yet another hundred stones and gave her shoulder a symbolic rub.

Gloria’s waistband could hardly hold any more.

Only then was she satisfied. “You’d better remember what you’ve said!”

So saying, Gloria rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pale, vein-laced wrist.

Lu Chen bit down, savoring the taste.

Universal Resonance activated!

Gloria frowned, her face flushing...

The atmosphere in the bathing chamber grew increasingly strange.

...

An hour later.

Suddenly, Lu Chen’s eyes snapped open—lightning flickered in his gaze, spiritual pressure surging in waves.

He had succeeded!

Not overly elated, Lu Chen rose, dressed, and stepped out of the tub. Nearby, Gloria, who’d replenished his energy, had fainted—whether from blood loss or from some strange disturbance in her spirit, he couldn’t tell.

Lu Chen changed the water, gently carried Gloria into the tub, gave her a healing pill, and let her rest.

He stepped out.

Having broken through, Lu Chen now moved with a new, confident air.

Ellie, who’d been eavesdropping just outside, hurried back to her desk, pretending only now to notice his breakthrough and congratulated him excitedly: “Congratulations, Captain, you made it!”

Lu Chen approached her, stern-faced. “Don’t think I didn’t know you were peeking.”

Ellie blushed, giggling softly. “Captain, you put Gloria in the tub but didn’t undress her. Isn’t it uncomfortable to take a bath with clothes on?”

Lu Chen, not the least bit ashamed, scolded, “What do you know? That’s called poetic temptation—if you take the clothes off, the mood is lost.”

Ellie quickly scribbled that down in her little notebook, marveling, “Captain, you know so much!”

Lu Chen patted her head, then handed her the remaining two hundred fifty spirit stones earned from repairing the ship. As captain, he couldn’t show favoritism just because Gloria supplied him with blood—everyone deserved equal treatment.

After all, Gloria was his trump card, but Ellie’s versatility could turn the tide at critical moments.

“Don’t worry, Ellie—your day will come too!”

Ellie shivered, thinking, It must be so uncomfortable to bathe with clothes on...

...

In the bathing chamber, Gloria slowly opened her eyes. In her faintness, she seemed to recall the past, but upon waking, she couldn’t remember a thing—except for Lu Chen’s oral skills... which were utterly outrageous.

“To think he could master the purest chosen power just by studying—could he be...?”

...

Lu Chen then proceeded to the helm to test manual flight and, using Universal Resonance’s simulation power, attempted total ship cloaking. He managed to maintain it for ten minutes before exhaustion forced him to drop the invisibility.

“Ten minutes... Not long enough to lie low, but plenty to escape.”

As for swallowing a healing pill while maintaining invisibility—he wasn’t there yet. The sudden surge in spiritual pressure from the pill made even self-cloaking difficult.

After resting with a healing pill, he headed to the aft cabin to test piloting the Treasure-Hunting Armor.

Amazingly, he could sustain invisibility for two hours!

“It seems the exosuit is perfect for stealth.”

Half a day later, Gloria emerged from her bath, stretching languidly. Excessive blood loss? Impossible—not even a hundred million Lu Chens could drain her dry. She’d simply drifted off, lulled by the warm, motherly pulse of her own blood.

With her three hundred spirit stones profit from selling blood, she no longer mentioned Lu Chen’s nuclear-powered fishing rod.

She entered the cockpit as if nothing had happened, clapping Lu Chen on the shoulder. “Hey, level thirty! You’re getting somewhere. Tell me, want to learn swordsmanship from your big sister?”

Lu Chen couldn’t be bothered. “Why would a spirit mech master need swordsmanship?”

Gloria, for once, donned a mentor’s expression. “Lightblade swordsmanship, of course. You don’t really think lightblades are just for hacking wildly like the Eight Kings, do you?”

“Isn’t that exactly what they’re for?” Lu Chen was confused. At least in Star Wars, the Jedi just swung them around—there didn’t seem to be any swordsmanship to it.

“Of course not,” Gloria said seriously. “If your Universal Resonance is only used to boost perception, affinity, and unlocking skills, that’s a waste. You need resonance sword arts.”

Resonance sword arts? The buzzing kind?

Lu Chen understood the logic, but he didn’t quite trust Gloria.

“I think you just want to con me out of tuition.”

Gloria grinned and sidled up to him. “What nonsense! We’ve already exchanged bodily fluids as dual-cultivation partners. I’ll even give you a twenty percent discount!”

“Get lost.”

At that very moment, Lu Chen’s treasure map flashed before his eyes—a bright red dot blinking incessantly nearby!

(End of chapter)