"Senior Long Xuan, I've thought of a way that might allow you to advance a level and break through to the Integration Mid Stage."
"What way?" Long Xuan looked at Zhou Hong with some confusion.
"This method might be difficult for you to accept, but it's worth a try."
"Tell me, if I can truly break through to the Integration Mid Stage, I don't think Hu Lu Rong will be my match." Long Xuan appeared confident. Although Hu Lu Rong was a genius, Long Xuan was even more so. At the same level, even if she couldn't kill Hu Lu Rong, he wouldn't be able to harm her and Zhou Hong.
"This...!" Zhou Hong didn't know how to start, as it was somewhat shameless.
"Don't be hesitant. We're already at a point of life and death."
"Alright then, I'll share my thoughts. For a cultivator to break through, various factors are involved. That's why some people, when they're stuck, will leave their familiar surroundings to go to a strange place to experience different states of mind."
Long Xuan thought Zhou Hong was referring to this and said with a bitter smile, "I've already tried that, and it didn't work."
"Don't rush. I'm not asking you to go to a strange place. I'm just giving an example. My point is, if you experience something or a life you've never experienced before, it might stimulate your progress and lead you to find the opportunity for a breakthrough. Do you agree with this concept?"
Long Xuan nodded without hesitation, "Of course I agree. I already knew that without you saying it."
"Then, it's very simple. From birth until now, you've focused solely on cultivation. You've never engaged in romantic relationships, nor have you experienced the intimacy between a man and a woman. Therefore...!"
"Don't say anymore." Long Xuan's body trembled, and she seemed to have instantly understood what Zhou Hong was suggesting.
"Senior Long Xuan, please forgive my impertinence. Please don't blame me."
"That won't happen." Long Xuan fell into deep thought, remaining silent.
"Senior Long Xuan, although you believe that pursuing romance is a waste of time, it can also be a form of mental tempering. For someone who has never had such an experience, a brief encounter might offer a different perspective. Similarly, the matter between a man and a woman is also a blank slate for you. Now, when we are at a critical juncture, whether it's worth trying is up to you."
"I...!" Long Xuan hesitated to speak.
"You decide. There are so many men in Tai Gu Academy. You can choose any one of them, or you could go to the Supreme Protectorate and find an elder. Although he's old, as a cultivator, he should still have the ability in that regard. I'll await your good news." Zhou Hong said with a smile, deliberately acting as if he had no ulterior motives, making his intentions seem purely for her benefit.
Long Xuan couldn't help but give Zhou Hong a look.
"Why would I look for an old man? If I truly need to complete this experience, can't I find you?"
"Haha, I'd be delighted." Zhou Hong felt a stirring within him.
However, Long Xuan couldn't make up her mind for a long time.
"Senior Long Xuan, just as you said yourself, the physical body is merely a vessel for the nascent soul to inhabit. What difference does beauty or ugliness make? Similarly, your hesitation now, is it because you don't want to 'spoil' this body of yours?"
"I... I don't know. I've always been very afraid of this since I was a child." Long Xuan shook her head with a blush.
"Let's go to my dorm. I'm very confident that after the experience, you'll have a different state of mind, and perhaps you'll truly break through to the Integration Mid Stage."
"This...!" Long Xuan was still conflicted.
"If such a small price can help you break through the bottleneck that has confined you for hundreds of years, why not?"
Zhou Hong didn't care if Long Xuan was conflicted or not and directly took her hand and walked forward.
Thus, amidst her inner turmoil, Long Xuan was led by Zhou Hong to his dorm.
Upon returning to the dorm, Zhou Hong's three roommates had also returned.
"Zhou Hong, you're back. When did you return?" one of the roommates asked.
"Don't ask. Just know I have something to take care of right now."
"Oh, oh, and who is this...!" The three roommates saw Long Xuan and found her somewhat familiar. They quickly remembered her as the celestial beauty, the Supreme Protector, who had descended like a goddess on the night Zhou Hong had hosted a gathering.
Zhou Hong directly pulled Long Xuan into his room and locked the door.
The three roommates exchanged glances, with some suspicions forming in their minds, yet finding it hard to believe.
"Zhou Hong, are you sure you want to do this?" Long Xuan asked, looking down.
"I'm sure. If you can truly break through to the Integration Mid Stage, then we won't have to flee."
"Alas, alright. But I don't know how to proceed."
"You don't need to know. You just need to close your eyes. Oh, and it's best to take a shower first."
"Mm." Long Xuan nodded softly and went into the bathroom.
Zhou Hong felt a surge of excitement. A beautiful woman in the Integration stage! Could this really happen? Zhou Hong almost doubted if he was dreaming.
About twenty minutes later, Long Xuan emerged, but she had changed back into her previous attire.
Zhou Hong also quickly took thirty seconds to wash up.
After washing, Zhou Hong immediately pounced forward. Long Xuan was knocked down, but she didn't resist. Instead, she closed her eyes. Long Xuan could already feel the changes in her body. Even though it hadn't truly begun, she was experiencing a sensation she had never felt before, and this sensation made her feel exceptionally comfortable. To be precise, her body and mind felt deeply at ease. Long Xuan couldn't help but secretly anticipate, hoping she would truly experience a state of mind she had never encountered before and break through the bottleneck in one go.
"Ah!" Just then, Long Xuan suddenly cried out involuntarily, as if stimulated by something.
Time passed slowly.
An hour later.
"Hoo!" Zhou Hong took a deep breath, looking at the person before him, it still felt like a dream.
Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, the three roommates were feeling a wave of awkwardness. They had vaguely heard some sounds earlier and naturally knew what Zhou Hong and the Supreme Protector were busy with.
"Damn it, Zhou Hong, you're the god in my heart forever," Liao Yong said.
"If this god had a lifespan, I'd want it to be ten thousand years," Liu Zhen En added.
"Worship, Supreme God," Bai Long murmured to himself.
In Zhou Hong's room, Long Xuan regained consciousness. She shyly glanced at Zhou Hong, then immediately sat up. Without bothering to adjust her clothes, she closed her eyes and began to cultivate, eager to seize the fleeting enlightenment, which, if missed, would be hard to come by again.
Zhou Hong chuckled. He knew that the effort of the past hour had not been in vain; Long Xuan had indeed gained some insight.
Zhou Hong sat quietly by the side, seemingly waiting for Long Xuan to break through to the Integration Mid Stage.