Chapter 585: Breaking Shackles
"I'll go and prepare tea for us." With that, Miss Zara got up from the floor and rushed to the kitchen.
While she was away, Lily began to spoil Little Zoe, playing with her. Even Valeria joined in, captivated by the little girl, and played with her for a few minutes.
After a while, Little Zoe looked at Lily with a smirk and said, "Big Sister Lily, after I become a cultivator, you have to teach me a powerful sword technique so I can slay powerful monsters easily."
"Sure. But only after you reach a certain level in your cultivation," Lily nodded with a smile, eager to spoil the cute girl.
"Why is that? Can't I learn it as soon as I become a cultivator?" Little Zoe asked, puzzled.
"Well, you need to get used to your newfound strength before learning a sword technique. You'll have to train your body for a few days to control your strength; otherwise, you might harm yourself by mistake," Lily explained with a smile.
"But since you've already trained your muscles and arm movements for over two weeks, you'll be able to control your strength much quicker if I'm right."
"I see… I can't wait that long!" Little Zoe smiled, looking forward to the technique her Big Sister Lily would teach her.
A few minutes later, Miss Zara returned to the room, carrying a tray filled with cookies and a large pot of tea along with cups.
"Everyone, I baked some cookies. Tell me how they are." She placed the tray on a small table with a smile before pouring tea into each cup.
"They taste incredible," Yuan said, tossing a cookie into his mouth. It was the perfect blend of sweetness and crunchiness.
"Why, thank you, Yuan," Miss Zara smiled at him. But seeing his handsome face, she suddenly remembered the earlier scene, and her face turned red.
'Why am I thinking about that incident? It was just a fluke. It's not like I was showing my body to him or anything…' Miss Zara thought, her heart rate increasing and her face reddening from embarrassment.
Yuan noticed the embarrassed look on Miss Zara's face and sighed inwardly, 'She must still feel embarrassed about the accident earlier.'
Anna and the others also noticed the odd look on Miss Zara's face but chose to ignore it to avoid making the situation more awkward and potentially increasing her embarrassment.
A few minutes later, Yuan looked at Miss Zara and Little Zoe and said, "Both of you should sit on the ground in a lotus position like before. Close your eyes, follow the instructions from the cultivation techniques, and absorb the surrounding Qi from the atmosphere into your bodies."
"Don't think of anything else while you cultivate, as it could affect your cultivation and slow down your progress."
Miss Zara and Little Zoe nodded before sitting on the ground in a lotus position, closing their eyes with excitement. They took a deep breath and activated their absorption technique.
As soon as they activated the technique, they could sense the surrounding Qi in the atmosphere, which had been invisible to them before. Now, they could easily sense it.
'So this is what Spiritual Energy feels like… It's much denser and more profound compared to Mana—almost mysterious,' Miss Zara thought, surprised.
'Now, all I need to do is follow the instructions and absorb the spiritual energy, guiding it toward my center.' With a profound look, she began absorbing the surrounding Qi into her body, then directed the energy to the center of her body—her dantian.
As the energy flowed into her dantian, it began to slowly fill with spiritual energy. The same was happening with Little Zoe. Both of their dantians started to expand to accommodate the increasing energy—a sign of their breakthrough.
Whoosh!
A small wind picked up around Miss Zara and Little Zoe, even with the doors and windows closed, as a profound aura radiated from them before immediately vanishing.
"They've finally become cultivators, breaking the mortal shackles that have bound them their entire lives. Now they're free and can grow beyond their human limits," Fang Xiaoyan murmured, looking on in a daze.
As a Phoenix, she could sense Miss Zara and Little Zoe's immense potential, which had been faint at first but now shone brightly with their newfound freedom from mortal limitations.
'Compared to Miss Zara, Little Zoe's potential is much greater; she will definitely become a figure who could one day dominate the Nine Heavens with her prowess,' Fang Xiaoyan thought.
Miss Zara and Little Zoe continued to cultivate, even after experiencing their first breakthrough. The sensation of newfound strength coursing through them was exhilarating.
It was best for them to continue increasing their cultivation as much as possible, as neither wanted to be a burden to Yuan and his wives. This was especially true for Miss Zara, and naturally, Little Zoe would follow in her mother's footsteps.
After a while, both Miss Zara and Little Zoe experienced another breakthrough—their second. It was as if they had been plunged into a refreshing, cool river.
They felt incredibly revitalized and energetic, as if they could run around the capital for hours without tiring. They were in awe of the profound changes in their bodies, each breath seeming to amplify their strength.
A few seconds later, Miss Zara and Little Zoe opened their eyes, smiling with sparkling eyes. They looked down at their hands, scarcely able to believe they had now become official cultivators.
"I feel ten times stronger than I did as a mage… cultivation is truly incredible!" Miss Zara exclaimed, grinning excitedly as she clenched her fists.
"Me too! I feel like I could break a boulder with a single punch!" Little Zoe added with a broad grin.
While they celebrated their success, Yuan and his wives surrounded them to offer their congratulations.
"Congratulations to both of you, Miss Zara and Little Zoe. You are no longer ordinary people living ordinary lives. You are now cultivators, embarking on the path toward immortality and godhood," Yuan declared proudly, his voice breaking the silence and immediately drawing their attention.
"Big Brother Yuan!"
Little Zoe immediately jumped at Yuan, and he caught her just in time before she could fall to the ground.
"Thank you, Big Brother Yuan! Because of you, I can now become super strong and fight powerful monsters—and defeat them in battle!" she declared with a loud voice, then gave him a big kiss on the cheek, giggling as she sensed Lily's jealous gaze.
"You little…" Lily muttered under her breath, clearly envious. She felt she should be the one getting kisses from Little Zoe, not Yuan.
'Oh no! If I anger Big Sister Lily, she might not teach me a powerful sword technique!' Little Zoe panicked inwardly, realizing her mistake. Glancing at Lily's expression, she could see Lily was indeed annoyed.
Quickly, Little Zoe slid off Yuan's lap and bounded toward Lily, a wide, excited grin on her face—though it looked slightly forced compared to her smile for Yuan a moment earlier.
"Big Sister Lily, let me give you a big kiss too!" She then gave Lily a peck on the cheek and hugged her tightly around the neck.
'That smile… it seems a bit fake… or maybe I'm just imagining things,' Lily thought, but she returned the hug, giving Little Zoe a kiss on the cheek in return.
'Phew, I acted just in time! I almost missed out on a powerful sword technique,' Little Zoe sighed in relief.
Seeing this, Yuan and his wives, along with Miss Zara, chuckled. They understood that Little Zoe was trying to secure her future sword training with a bit of strategic sweetness.
'This girl is much more mischievous and clever than I expected… she can even charm Lily, Yuan mused to himself.
Then, Anna looked at Miss Zara and asked, "Are you feeling any kind of discomfort in your body? If so, please don't hesitate to tell us."
"Thanks for your concern, Miss Anna. But I'm perfectly fine." Miss Zara smiled. She felt refreshed and energetic, without any pain or discomfort.
"That's great to hear," Anna said with a sigh of relief. "Just remember, it might take a little time to adjust to your newfound strength. Try to be gentle with things over the next few days."
"I'll keep that in mind," Miss Zara replied.
A few minutes later, Yuan and his wives returned to their room, leaving Miss Zara and Little Zoe alone to continue cultivating if they wished.
In their room, Lily, Julie, Ava, Rose, and Leah quickly settled on the ground, closed their eyes, and began reciting the Divine Body and Soul Merging Sutra, aiming to deepen their mastery of the technique.
Compared to Anna and the others, their understanding of the technique was less developed. They could not maintain their merged state for more than ten hours, nor could they merge with more than five people simultaneously. These limitations would ease once they advanced to the second level.
A few minutes later, the five of them entered a state resembling a trance, and a profound aura began to envelop them, causing their bodies to glow with a soft, pale light.
"A-Are they experiencing Enlightenment?" Anna murmured in awe, stunned by the ancient aura radiating from their bodies.
"Indeed, they are experiencing Enlightenment," Fang Xiaoyan confirmed with a nod. "It's best we leave them undisturbed."
"In that case, why don't we go to the other room?" Sylvia suggested quickly, a playful smirk on her face as she subtly licked her lips. "We can spend some quality time with our husband."
Mireya rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a sigh at Sylvia's antics.
"Well, since we can't disturb them here, it looks like we have no other choice," Valeria agreed, trying to hide her own excitement.
Moments later, they arrived in the room that belonged to Lily and the others, and Sylvia locked the door behind them with a mischievous grin.
She walked slowly over to Yuan, then gently pushed him onto the bed before climbing on top of him, her eyes filled with a playful spark.
Leaning in close, she whispered, "Husband, how about making your beautiful wife feel special? I'm feeling very naughty right now and want to do naughty things with you."