As the words left the woman''s mouth, Lucian suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.

    In that instant, a flicker of gray light shimmered around his body, barely visible but unmistakably present.

    As he looked at the woman''s grin, Lucian immediately understood that ever since he entered this cave a layer of Spiritual Energy had been protecting him all along, shielding him from the cave''s lethal cold.

    Without it, he had a feeling that he would have been a frozen statue the moment he stepped into this icy domain.

    And, because of his previous arrogant tone, she intentionally released a flaw in the protection to let him realize the nature of his current situation.

    The chill that had seeped into his bones was more than just discomfort; it was a warning to let him understand the power this woman held over his very life.

    ''This bitch!''

    Looking at Lucian''s "enlightened" face, the woman chuckled and waved her slender right hand.

    A red book suddenly materialized from thin air, its cover adorned with golden symbols. The book floated gracefully towards him, suspended in mid-air as if held by invisible strings.

    "Do you know why you can''t break through?" the woman asked, her grey eyes looking into his.

    "Because I lack a Cultivation Technique?" Lucian replied cautiously, his eyes fixed on the floating red book.

    The woman''s lips curled into a smile, "Right. Without a suitable technique, one can''t break through and reach the 9th level of Body Strengthening, not to mention the Qi Gathering Realm. But there are also some people whose affinity is low that even with a suitable technique, it''ll only be a waste of resources. The woman you fucked yesterday is such an example. Her innate affinity is so low that it is almost negligible."

    But Lucian didn''t think so. As long as she accepted to become his woman, he could change her Innate Fate.

    However, he kept these thoughts hidden behind a mask of politeness, "Senior, your wisdom is profound. This junior is eager to learn more."

    "No need to flatter me," the woman''s grey eyes sparkled in amusement as she continued, "What I want you to understand is that, while you have a higher fire affinity and a stronger physique than she does, what I am interested in is whether your physique and soul can cultivate this Cultivation Technique. If you can, I''ll be your biggest supporter, but if not..."

    Her voice trailed off, the unspoken threat clear as ice.

    Lucian took a deep breath, his crimson eyes still fixed on the floating red book.

    In that moment, understanding dawned upon him like the first rays of sunlight breaking through a stormy sky.

    This opportunity was different from what he imagined as it was both tantalizing and terrifying, a double-edged sword that could change his life or cut his life short in an instant.

    The moment his skin made contact, the book burst into a brilliant tongue of flame, its pages unfurling like petals of fire.

    Whoosh~~

    The flames danced around Lucian, not burning him but seemingly caressing his skin. The golden symbols from the cover detached themselves, swirling around him in a mesmerizing display of light and heat.

    As the book slowly disintegrated, the flames coalesced into a miniature lotus, no larger than a pearl, hovering before Lucian''s crimson eyes.

    The woman''s breathing became hurried as she stood up, her black gown rippling like shadows in moonlight. Her grey eyes blazed with an intensity that could rival the miniature sun floating before Lucian.

    With a single step, she crossed the distance between them, her movement graceful as a celestial maiden descending from the heavens.

    The burning lotus, like a miniature sun pulsing with divine radiance, hovered before Lucian''s eyes. Its light cast shadows across the cavern walls.

    As if drawn by an unseen law, the lotus slowly drifted towards Lucian. It paused for a heartbeat at the center of his brows, its warmth a stark contrast to the biting cold of the cavern.

    Then, with a flash of golden light that momentarily outshone the starry ceiling above, it sank into his skin.

    His crimson eyes slowly closed as he sat down on the icy floor, immediately started cultivating [Celestial Flame Lotus].

    At this moment, Lucian''s mind was calm and clear as the [Celestial Flame Lotus] unfurled within his mind like a lotus of golden patels, each patel a secret of cultivation waiting to be raveled.

    There were nine "patels" in the Flame Lotus in Lucian''s "mind".

    Looking at the lotus, he "understood" that there were nine levels in [Celestial Flame Lotus].

    Upon reaching the third level, he could resist all types of fire as long as the difference between cultivation was not too great. At sixth level, his spiritual energy would contain Celestial Flame which could burn the soul. And at ninth level, one could condense the Celestial Flame Lotus, buring everything.

    But with his current comprehension he couldn''t even understand one patel.

    But now visualising the beautiful Flame Lotus, Lucian was enlightened and how to break through and enter the Meridians Awakening was revealed in his mind.

    Lucian "saw" his body as a complex network of rivers and streams, each representing a meridian channel through which his Spiritual Energy needed to flow.

    He understood now that in order to reach the 9th stage of Body Refinement, he needed to completely unclog one of his meridians, allowing the energy to flow freely and unimpeded, completing a full circle.

    This process, he realized, was akin to clearing a blocked river, allowing the waters to surge forth and nourish the land.