The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

This small pile of top-grade spiritual stones was so rich in Spiritual Energy, it felt like your cultivation could rise just by breathing it in.

But Lu Sangjiu didn’t dare touch the top-grade Demon Essence Stones next to them just yet. She hurriedly put them away in her storage bag to prevent their energies from clashing and throwing her mind into chaos.

At this point, Lu Sangjiu had no choice but to once again carefully study the theory of Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation. ’It’s a little crazy, but what if it works?’

’If I really succeed, I’ll be one of a kind. I might even become incredibly powerful.’

After going through it all carefully, Lu Sangjiu felt this senior really knew his stuff.

It sounded far-fetched, but he had actually taken the theory of Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation to its absolute limit.

And she finally understood why he had called her the chosen one for Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation... The key to success was the wisp of Heavenly Punishment Qi inside her body.

Simply put, it required something that could suppress both Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi, thereby allowing them to reach a balance within the body.

Of course, this was easier said than done. The execution was extremely difficult.

First of all, an item capable of suppressing both Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi was one in a million. Not even the tyrannical Abnormal Fire within Shen Yuzhao could do it.

Second, the balancing point was incredibly difficult to find. When drawing Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi into the body, any imbalance would lead to a point of no return. The margin for error was effectively zero.

But... Lu Sangjiu discovered that all these conditions were actually very favorable for her.

First, of course, was the unique advantage of the Heavenly Punishment Qi in her body.

The Heavenly Dao itself stands above all living things, so the Heavenly Punishment Qi, born from it, was even more domineering.

It could do more than just suppress Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi; it could probably handle two other types of energy on top of that.

Second, she had cultivated as both a demon and an immortal, so she was very familiar with controlling both Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi.

This would naturally be a great help in balancing the two energies.

So... when it came to Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation, Lu Sangjiu was truly uniquely blessed.

After another careful study, Lu Sangjiu confirmed that it was, in theory, feasible.

Thus, she made up her mind completely. Since she was already set on a path of defying the heavens, she might as well... defy them even more thoroughly!

Xie Ningyuan now found himself in a dark, cramped space, though it was much larger than the coffin from before. He was feeling his way around when he suddenly sensed something.

”Since you’re here, why not say something?”

”Oh? How did you know I was here?” the voice asked, a hint of surprise in it.

Xie Ningyuan didn’t answer, only saying lazily, ”Take a guess.”

”Heh... Interesting.” The person wasn’t angry. Instead, his interest in Xie Ningyuan only grew.

”I’ve never seen a Buddhist Practitioner like you... Your Buddha Heart is clearly shattered, yet your cultivation has only regressed. You’ve even managed to keep your sanity and avoid falling into demonhood.”

”Young man, how did you manage that?”

A faint smile played on Xie Ningyuan’s lips as he gave the same infuriating reply, ”Why don’t you guess again?”

The voice fell silent. After a moment, it sneered, ”Then why don’t you guess how your little lover is doing right now?”

”You’re mistaken. We’re merely strangers who met by chance. I was simply helping someone in need.”

”Besides... I don’t need to guess. I’m certain she’s still alive and well.”

The Bodhi Pearl was his companion artifact. Even though it no longer belonged to him, he still maintained a subtle connection to it.

As a result, he could faintly sense its current owner... He could be certain, at least, that Lu Sangjiu was still alive.

The voice seemed surprised by Xie Ningyuan’s certainty. After a choked silence, it said grimly, ”More than a thousand years have passed, and you Buddhist Practitioners are still as detestable as ever.”

He paused, then as if recalling something, sneered, ”So be it. I won’t waste my time with you. You’d better pray that little girl succeeds. Otherwise... you’ll be buried alongside her!”

”Oh? That confident in your little setup?”

Xie Ningyuan chuckled. ”Why don’t we make a bet on whether or not I can break your seal?”

”Heh, such arrogance. A Buddhist Practitioner with a shattered Buddha Heart... you’re lucky to be alive. You think you can defeat me?”

”Hmm. I don’t know who you are, but you said it yourself—a thousand years have passed. Now you’re nothing but a remnant soul that doesn’t even dare to show its face, yet you still talk so big?”

The smile in Xie Ningyuan’s eyes faded. ”A remnant soul like you, lingering for a thousand years... you must be incredibly lonely.”

”Don’t worry. When I get out, I’ll help you pass on... free of charge.”

After thoroughly studying the theory, Lu Sangjiu began to draw the Demonic Qi into her body.

With a Demon Essence Stone in hand, the moment she introduced the Demonic Qi into her body, she felt the Spiritual Energy throughout her system instantly go berserk!

The two energies shot through her body like headless flies, instantly causing her blood to roil and inflicting extreme pain.

But this situation lasted only for a moment. The wisp of Heavenly Punishment Qi, like a lion roused from its slumber, stirred slightly. In an instant, the rampaging Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi were pacified.

Lu Sangjiu’s pain subsided, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. ’Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi... they really can coexist in my body!’

With this first step successful, Lu Sangjiu’s confidence soared. She immediately began absorbing the Demonic Qi from the Demon Essence Stone at an accelerated rate.

Then, following the Cultivation Technique the senior had provided, she guided the flow of Demonic Qi.

Soon, she discovered that, just as the Cultivation Technique described, another meridian channel had actually formed inside her body!

This new meridian ran parallel to her original one, though it was slightly thinner.

Right now, her Demonic Qi was much weaker than her Spiritual Energy, which caused the Spiritual Energy to constantly erode and resist the Demonic Qi.

According to the senior’s instructions, she needed to cultivate her Demonic Qi meridian to the same Level as her spiritual one—Early-stage Foundation Establishment. Only then would the two achieve a true, delicate balance.

Her future cultivation would be the same; she would have to advance both simultaneously to achieve any breakthroughs.

Of course... the Heavenly Tribulation she would face then would likely be terrifyingly powerful, the likes of which were rarely seen.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Lu Sangjiu had to leave this place as soon as possible, so she couldn’t afford to be slow in her cultivation.

Fortunately, she could absorb Demonic Qi much faster than someone truly starting from scratch. There were no bottlenecks; it all came down to her absorption speed.

To get out sooner, she ignored the pain that came with forced absorption and pushed herself to her fastest speed. She absorbed five whole top-grade Demon Essence Stones before finally cultivating her Demonic Qi to the Early-stage Foundation Establishment!

After she completed this cultivation, both the demonic and spiritual meridian channels settled down completely. They were like two separate systems, each performing its own function, no longer interfering with one another. In fact, they even seemed to be complementing each other.

...Success!

Lu Sangjiu’s eyes snapped open. At the same time, she heard the voice, full of shock and disbelief, ”You... You actually succeeded?”

Lu Sangjiu looked down, watching a ball of Spiritual Energy form in her left hand and a ball of Demonic Qi form in her right. ”Ah... It seems so.”