"Don't cry. Things are taking a turn for the better. At least you still have a way out, right?" Eminent Jiguang forted Suishen Yao.
"A way? Do you mean taking first place on the Fortuna Ranking?" Suishen Yao asked.
"Of course! Didn't your father just announce it? He’s giving you a chance. As long as you can take first place on the Fortuna Ranking, he’ll give you a chance to make your own decision,” Eminent Jiguang replied.
Looking bitter, Suishen Yao said, "Auntie, it isn’t like I don't want to be the first. I’ve lost to Qitian Jian and Yumo Xue since I was two hundred years old and I’ve never won once. Yumo Xue may be younger than me, but he fights more ferociously, and Qitian Jian is a beast of House Qitian. After fighting for so many years, I know I don't stand a chance against them. There’s only a year until the wedding. How can I succeed?"
The more battles she fought, the more she realized the difference between totemancers and the other two cultivation methods. Defeating them was impossible unless she could break through to second-level foundationeer within a year. Progress at her stage required at least grade eight or nine order fragments, and the Xenoabyss wasn’t going to just hand it to her. Meanwhile, the other two had the same resources that she had in Myriadpath Valley, so there was no way to widen the gap between them.
House Suishen was less established, pared to House Yumo and House Qitian. That was the difference in cultivation methods. The advantage of totems declined the closer they approached the peak, while beastmasters and specters grew more powerful instead.
“Don’t you have any confidence at all?” asked Eminent Jiguang.
“No!” Suishen Yao honestly replied.
In fact, Eminent Ranxing had only agreed to Suishen Yao’s bet because he was just as certain as she was. A year was merely a blink of the eye! Eminent Ranxing was well aware of the difference between cultivation methods. Totemancers were the best at formations, which couldn’t be used in bat.
"Then..." Eminent Jiguang’s tone took a drastic turn, "if I have a way to make you stronger within a year’s time, would you be willing to try it?"
"Do you really have a way?" Suishen Yao suddenly stood up, staring at Eminent Jiguang with wide eyes. "Tell me!"
"The method is simple, yet plicated. It’s called ‘totemic bonding'!" Eminent Jiguang said.
"Totemic bonding?" Suishen Yao was stunned. "Auntie, are you kidding? I don't want to get married! Who am I supposed to practice totemic bonding with? If it's neither of the two, my father would be so livid he’d kill me!"
"Calm down and listen to me." Holding her down, Eminent Jiguang patiently continued, "Listen Yaoyao, I’ve been idle for hundreds of years, and during that time, I’ve looked up many ancestral records and found a technique that doesn’t require physical union to practice totemic bonding. It might be suitable for you!"
Physical union obviously meant sex.
"What?" Suishen Yao’s interest was piqued. Widening her pink eyes, she waited for Eminent Jiguang to continue.
Sorting her thoughts, Eminent Jiguang said, "Here’s what I know. The ancestral record is rather obscure, but I figured it out. From what I can tell, the other party must be a totemancer from outside of House Suishen, and they must have a high number of bane-rings—at least nine, to match our totems. There aren't any records of a decabane, but the effect must be even better!"
"A decabane? Do you mean Li Tianming?" Suishen Yao glared at her.
"Yes! I recalled the technique the moment I saw him. You should try it. After all, it doesn’t require physical union, and it’s even beneficial for him. It might improve his simulacra, so I doubt he’ll refuse you. I’ll protect you throughout the entire process. Although the technique isn’t guaranteed to work, there shouldn’t be any side effects," Eminent Jiguang firmly said.
"Are you sure? Don't try to trick me, Auntie. I’ve fallen for your tricks so many times." Suishen Yao remained doubtful.
"That’s nonsense! How could someone as reliable as me trick you?" Eminent Jiguang sincerely said.
"How’s it nonsense? When I was still a teenager, you took me outside to play, but went home alone and left me behind. I was almost eaten by a wildbeast!" As soon as Suishen Yao brought up the past, it seemed like she could talk for three days and three nights.
"Don't worry. You can trust me this time," Eminent Jiguang solemnly said.
Suishen Yao looked at her dubiously, then finally nodded. "I’ll trust you just this once!"
She took a deep breath, drops of seawater sliding across her skin into her cleavage. "Auntie, how should we do it? Can we both remain standing specifically?"
"Of course not. Although union isn’t required, you still have to be close to each other. In fact, the closer you are, the better. It’s best if you’re both confined to a tiny space so your bane-rings are as close as possible. You’ll have to do it in the Jiguang Sea, which is rich in midsky essence. It’s within my territory and secluded. I can guide you from beginning to end," said Eminent Jiguang.
"As close as possible? But we’ll still be dressed, right?" Suishen Yao asked.
"That should work..." Eminent Jiguang replied.
"Should work...." Suishen Yao sounded anxious. "That sounds better!" Biting her lips, she continued, "Anyway, it's a great honor for that kid to be your test subject. I suggest you wear the hedgehog armor. You can stab him to death if he gets too close!"
"Don't worry, I’ll test it out first. If it doesn't work and requires physical union, then we’ll forget about it. Let's just give it a try." Eminent Jiguang patted her chest in a show of confidence. Then, pinching Suishen Yao’s cheeks, she added, "Relax, he’s still an innocent child who isn’t even a hundred years old. I should feel guilty.... But don't worry, I think it’ll work!"
"When do we start? I must protect him. All hope is gone if House Yumo kills him," Suishen Yao said.
"Let's start when the trials end. You have about a year. If you can break through to the next level, it’ll be like making a windfall."
"I hope his totems aren’t useless. He can only use onefold simulacra so there’s a big possibility they’re trash," said Suishen Yao.
"It doesn’t matter how useless they are, what matters is that he has enough totems. The ancestral record only emphasizes the number," Eminent Jiguang replied.
Suishen Yao seemed to relax, now that she had a way out.
"Auntie, give me a massage. I want to be just like you!”
"You little imp!"
The two frolicked around. It was yet another beautiful scene!
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