Chapter 61: Affecting My Performance

Chapter 61: Interfering With My Performance

Chi Yu's belt came undone.

His loose robe slipped downward, and Chi Yu tugged at it forcefully to prevent further exposure.

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xuan Ji, didn't we agree that only the upper body needed to be exposed?"

Xie Xiyi replied, "Go with the flow."

Chi Yu: "..."

No, what kind of flow is this?

He felt Xie Xiyi's broad palm slide over his spine and settle below his waist. When Chi Yu looked up at him, Xie Xiyi wore an utterly serious expression. Noticing Chi Yu's gaze, he glanced down slightly and said in a pleasing voice, "Sit down."

Chi Yu's eyes widened in shock. "Sit? Where am I supposed to sit?"

Xie Xiyi reached out and patted his own leg. "Only here is available. Where else would you sit?"

Chi Yu: "..."

*Is this appropriate?*.jpg

But seeing Brother Xuan Ji's calm demeanor, Chi Yu felt he might be acting too prudish. So, he deliberately parted his legs and sat down with an air of nonchalance.

Brother Xuan Ji's legs were firm—sitting on them felt practically no different from sitting on a bench. But his body temperature was much higher. His palms were fine since they could dissipate heat continuously, but his body temperature was significantly elevated, as was typical of cultivators with their abundant inner true yang.

Thus, Chi Yu unconsciously knelt on the edge of the bed, lifting himself slightly off Xie Xiyi. But the moment he did, Xie Xiyi pressed him down, making him sit on his legs again.

"Brother Xuan Ji..." Chi Yu didn't know what to say, so he kept calling Xie Xiyi's name.

Xie Xiyi said, "Don't move or make a sound."

Chi Yu: "..."

Chi Yu fell silent.

Xie Xiyi's hands caressed Chi Yu's skin, flesh, and bones.

The skin was lustrous and soft, full of vibrant life. Where his fingers touched blood vessels, he could feel the pulse throbbing.

Honestly, there was nothing particularly special about it—most cultivators' bodies were like this.

He knew rationally that there was nothing unique about it. Cultivators, regardless of gender, possessed fine skin that remained forever jade-like and well-proportioned bones—they were all the same.

But due to his particular perspective, when Xie Xiyi looked at Chi Yu again, he found him extraordinarily distinctive.

The sensation was so vivid it brought him delight. His pupils dilated slightly, his inner true yang churned, and his body temperature rose once more.

Xie Xiyi practiced introspection and could see the Demon Heart stirring restlessly, though he suppressed it deeply. Clearly, it wasn't the Demon Heart causing trouble—it was that aberrant thought—

That thought had grown considerably. Each time he practiced Visualization of Long Aotian, it nourished that thought.

According to cultivation principles, Xie Xiyi should have eradicated that thought. But, as luck would have it, he had a rebellious streak. He wanted to see what that thought would ultimately become, so he let it be.

Another reason was that he still didn't know what that aberrant thought truly was.

Xie Xiyi had never considered the possibility of same-sex attraction. On one hand, as a crown prince educated in imperial teachings, he firmly believed that the union of yin and yang was the true path. The concept of same-sex love never entered his mind; even if he had heard of it, it never took root.

On the other hand, Xie Xiyi didn't believe he could develop such feelings. This was absolute self-confidence. He was so proud and arrogant that others' loves and heartbreaks seemed foolish and incomprehensible to him.

The lingering thoughts of the female demon had some influence on him, but upon careful introspection, he believed they only stirred the Demon Heart.

Unknown to him, the female demon's obsessive thoughts of love not only agitated the Demon Heart but also stirred the desires he believed himself least capable of feeling.

The black pupils in Xie Xiyi's golden eyes dilated slightly. The Demon Heart wasn't exerting itself, but the long-suppressed primordial desires of a man quietly emerged. This was an innate nature beyond introspection, much like how an infant instinctively suckles milk without any conscious understanding of it.

Xie Xiyi remained rational and continued his Visualization earnestly.

But the content of his Visualization gradually escaped understanding and control.

His gaze lowered, resting on Chi Yu's flushed cheeks. His thick, dark eyelashes were damp and stuck together, the corners of his eyes tinged with red. His already beautiful eyes, now glistening with moisture, appeared even more captivating.

Xie Xiyi had never before thought that Chi Yu had such a strikingly beautiful face. He had once said that the poison dragon was the pinnacle of beauty—he must have been mistaken.

His gaze drifted downward to Chi Yu's full lips. Chi Yu gently bit his lower lip, assuming an enduring stance that subtly stirred the Demon Heart. The Demon Heart trembled but was swiftly suppressed by Xie Xiyi—

His teeth itched with a desire to bite something, yet it wasn't the Demon Heart provoking it.

What was it?

As Xie Xiyi introspected and pondered, he sank into an indescribable state.

All tangible and obstructive phenomena—form, sound, scent, taste, and touch—vibrated for him.

Xie Xiyi had never experienced such a thing before, and it made him perceive the realm of pure form.

The spiritual energy in the palace suddenly intensified. Chi Yu immediately noticed and looked up at Brother Xuan Ji in astonishment—

He was about to break through!!

Spiritual energy swirled into Xie Xiyi's body like a whirlwind. Golden light began to emanate from him, and lotus flowers of dharmic manifestation bloomed around him, filling the room with a rich, fragrant aroma.

Chi Yu thought to himself, *thank goodness I held back. Otherwise, disrupting Brother Xuan Ji's Visualization would be minor, but delaying his advancement would be an unforgivable sin!*

*Thank goodness!!!*

Chi Yu was filled with relief. So what if he was groping his butt? Cultivators aren't the same as ordinary people. And even among ordinary people... he had male classmates who sat on each other's laps, so it seemed normal.

Especially since it was Brother Xuan Ji—such a proper person.

Chi Yu, who had been squirming from the groping, sat back down again. He even stopped tugging at his slipping robe.

He didn't dare disturb his advancement, so he remained seated in his lap, waiting for the process to end.

As for those very noticeable hands behind him... well, Chi Yu didn't dare say a word.

Little Ball also noticed the unusual activity and asked delightedly outside the main hall, "Brother Aotian? Is His Highness advancing?"

Chi Yu, afraid he might enter—since the situation was hardly decent, and he was almost completely naked—quickly extended his Spiritual Sense and said to Little Ball, "Yes, His Highness is advancing. It's not over yet. Don't come in."

Little Ball said, "I know, I won't come in. I smell the floral fragrance. Is His Highness advancing to the Third Dhyana?"

Chi Yu said, "I'm not familiar with these matters, but probably yes."

Little Ball said joyfully, "That's wonderful! His Highness is only twenty years old. At this rate, I believe he can become a Bodhisattva before he turns a hundred."

Hearing this, Chi Yu suddenly felt the weight of responsibility.

Wait, is Visualization really that effective?

Chi Yu reached under Xie Xiyi's collar to touch his shoulders and back—the feel was amazing, smooth and hot like a furnace, but aside from that, he felt nothing else.

Is his cultivation level too low?

Spiritual energy kept flooding in wildly, the golden light grew increasingly intense, lotuses bloomed faster and withered just as quickly.

Xie Xiyi's eyes were still half-open, a gleam of golden light leaking from his golden pupils, but Chi Yu knew he had entered deep Meditation.

Keeping his body upright for so long felt exhausting, so he simply scooted closer, bent his waist a little, and rested his chin on Brother Xuan Ji's shoulder.

The breakthrough wasn't going to end that soon, so Chi Yu closed his eyes, intending to sleep for a while.

After closing his eyes, smelling the scent of Brother Xuan Ji mixed with the fragrance of the dharma lotus, sleepiness came over him, and he quickly fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Chi Yu was awakened by movement against his body.

He opened his eyes, groggily sat up, rubbed his eyes, and saw the person before him clearly. "Brother Xuan Ji...," he mumbled.

"Mm." Xie Xiyi's melodic voice rang out, quickly waking Chi Yu fully, who asked excitedly, "Brother Xuan Ji, did you break through?"

Xie Xiyi said, "No."

Chi Yu was stunned and asked incredulously, "You didn't breakthrough?"

Xie Xiyi's sharp brows furrowed slightly as he calmly said, "I originally intended to break through to the Third Meditation, but it wasn’t suitable."

"Why? What went wrong?" Chi Yu asked anxiously.

Xie Xiyi said, "This breakthrough was like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—it was illusory. Not breaking through was the right choice. If I had attempted it, it would've damaged my foundation."

Chi Yu was surprised, "There’s such a thing?"

Xie Xiyi: "Mm."

Chi Yu couldn’t hide his disappointment, "Seriously? I thought you would break through, Brother Xuan Ji."

Xie Xiyi said, "No rush. Taking things slowly leads to perfection."

*He’s so calm*, Chi Yu thought.

But as his attention returned, Chi Yu noticed that Xie Xiyi's hands were still touching him, stroking every inch of his skin, flesh, muscles, and bones. Though the pressure wasn’t heavy, and Chi Yu, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, basically had skin like copper and bones like iron, the prolonged contact inevitably left red marks on his skin.

Chi Yu extended his Spiritual Sense to check his back—goodness, his buttocks were all red, covered in palm prints.

*Well, buttocks are really nice to touch, huh.*

Chi Yu’s face flushed slightly. Even though this was just regular Visualization, he couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Brother Xuan Ji..." Chi Yu whispered, "Are we still doing Visualization?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Mm."

Chi Yu peeked up through his eyelids to look at him, noticing a hint of confusion and frustration in his expression. It seemed that, despite his calm words about taking things slowly, he was still disappointed about not breaking through.

Though it was starting to hurt from all the squeezing, Chi Yu perked up, wanting to discuss with Brother Xuan Ji why the breakthrough didn’t happen. "Brother Xuan Ji, what did you Visualize today?"

Xie Xiyi said casually, "The eternal sky, the moon in a moment of wind."

Chi Yu: "Huh?"

He asked respectfully, "What does that mean?"

Xie Xiyi said, "In the pure stillness where joy and bliss arise, I glimpsed a thread of vitality. Stillness contains movement, movement contains stillness—that is the highest realm."

Chi Yu: "..."

*You can Visualize such a realm from my body?*

*That's our Brother Xuan Ji for you, his realm is so high.*

*Though my buttocks are getting sore, Brother Xuan Ji.*

Chi Yu hesitated but decided to tough it out. "Brother Xuan Ji, why was the breakthrough fake? Did you find the problem?"

Xie Xiyi was also puzzled—he had clearly sensed the realm of pure form.

Seeing his expression, Chi Yu understood—he hadn’t found the problem. Chi Yu smiled encouragingly, "Don't worry about it. If it didn’t work this time, it definitely will next time. After all, Brother Xuan Ji, you’re a genius."

Xie Xiyi curved his lips into a slight smile and said, "Mm."

His hands kept working.

Chi Yu suddenly blushed and stammered, "Brother Xuan Ji, can we end today’s Visualization?"

Xie Xiyi suddenly realized, "We should probably stop. Are you tired?"

Chi Yu wiped nonexistent sweat off his forehead, "Not tired, not tired. I’m glad I could help Brother Xuan Ji."

Xie Xiyi looked down at his robe, which had almost slipped to the ground, and said, "Next time during Visualization, don’t wear your cultivation robe. It gets in the way of my focus."

Chi Yu: "..."

His eyes went wide with shock. Huh?

*You mean not wear anything?*

*Is that right?*

Author's Note:

11: It’s all for cultivation.

little puppy fish: The pressure's really on.jpg