Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!
Chapter 41: Qualitative Advancement (2)

After a brief pause, his eyes slowly fluttered open. The once fiery orbs transformed into spheres, pulsating with an ethereal, captivating brilliance. The room was bathed in an intense, mesmerizing radiance, with the inky black aura that had previously billowed like thick smoke now gleamed with minuscule specks of mana, creating elaborate, ever-changing patterns.

His once coarse horns now appeared to be crafted from a superior and refined material, displaying fewer imperfections and gleaming in the room's light. His wings, now transformed into magnificent structures, were adorned with scales of rare beauty, surpassing his previous "bat wings".

His general appearance became less hostile, but the shape of his face, the way he looked ahead, seemed to be that of a creature in total control of his qualities. He wasn't the same being, Mary could tell as she watched Thal'Korr's evolution.

His gaze no longer seemed that of a chaotic, irrational creature driven by instinct. His current gaze seemed to be that of a calculating creature that wouldn't waste his energy on unnecessary movements.

That was Mary's opinion, judging only by the changed appearance of Liam's Spirit demon. But the Spirit Master behind Thal'Korr knew his Spirit had changed far more inwardly than the appearance showed.

His ability to manipulate shadows had increased. He should now be able to influence twice as much space as before with the same amount of mana.

His physical strength had tripled, allowing him to smash through walls with his fists and cut through inferior metals with his claws. His body improved as a whole, with improved movement and reaction speed.

Finally, his mental strength reached new heights. Liam could sense that Thal'Korr had also made a breakthrough, just as he had improved his cultivation to the 4-Star level of the second cultivation realm. However, after his qualitative breakthrough, he went straight to the 5-Star!

'Master!'

After a moment of looking at his Spirit, Liam heard the demon's voice in his mind, bringing him back to reality.

'You really have become more intelligent. That's good. I'll be able to command you more easily in battle,' Liam said in to Spirit before Thal'Korr returned to his soul space.

'I am at your disposal to defeat your opponents, master. Use me as you see fit!'

Thal'Korr reappeared on his platform in Liam's soul space.

Not every Spirit could speak. Not every magical creature capable of giving birth to Spirits was intelligent enough to do so. But demons were a similar type of creature to humans. Their Spirits could talk well, even if they weren't very talkative.

Liam smiled as he looked inside himself, seeing himself in that special place where the incubus demon was looking in Thal'Korr's direction.

'Use the place you're in to complete the mission I've given you. Don't waste your time. Use the other pill and reach a higher level,' the incubus said. This demon forced Thal'Korr to return to cultivating while Liam turned his attention back to his room.

'Tsk! That guy. He acts like the boss around here.' Liam sighed, but he had a smile on his face.

At first, he had found his situation with the incubus strange, confusing, and even annoying. But now, almost four months into his time with the creature, he was used to this being.

He had many doubts, but he knew for sure that the creature wouldn't casually harm him without harming itself. Either way, their growth could benefit both of them, and their strange relationship wasn't that bad.

That didn't mean he didn't still have reservations about the incubus. He was just used to the order of things these days.

But even if the incubus had an unknown agenda, he was right about one thing. Liam really wanted to know what that thing—the one he had gotten into him on the island.

At the thought of the small glowing star surrounded by strange symbols in his soul space, Liam knew he had to investigate and understand what it was all about.

He quickly consumed the other pill, an item that was certainly of a higher quality than the pill he had used early, although he couldn't quantify how much better it was.

Ignoring for the moment the strengthening of his abilities related to Thal'Korr's powers—which had also evolved with the Shadowfiend's evolution—Liam consumed his last pill.

This time, the sensation of ingesting the Mana Essence Pill was much stronger, three times greater than the one caused by the previous pill.

Liam's whole body turned red, with a little steam coming out of his pores, and his veins trembled violently as they even showed up in places that were unusual to see.

Liam knew that consuming pills consecutively was not a wise decision. These pills left impurities in the bodies of Spirit Masters, a type of residue that couldn't be absorbed and could easily build up, making it incredibly challenging to eliminate.

According to the most accepted theories, this residue, if accumulated over time and in large quantities, could even limit the Spirit Master's future growth.

But Liam had never used similar resources before, and since he was worried about his life at the beginning of his journey in Demon Gate, he didn't mind putting himself in 'danger'.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but smile at the pleasurable sensation he felt from the large amount of mana he was absorbing, something that frankly surpassed even the sensation he felt from sex—his sex only surpassed ordinary cultivation because it was also cultivation.

He could feel his level rising rapidly from the beginning of the 4-Star level, and he soon reached its peak.

After 37 minutes of deep meditation, just as the effects of the pill were about to wear off, he felt a new vortex of mana forming in his soul space.

The shadows around his room trembled as a purple mist escaped from the black-haired man's pores, his powers slipping out of his control.

As he reached the 5-Star, he felt his heart beating differently, unconsciously drawing the attention of Mary, who by now had advanced to the 2-Star and had finished nurturing one of her Spirits.

The radiant blonde woman gazed upon Liam with a newfound perception, her heart synchronizing its rhythm with his, her skin tingling with an inexplicable warmth.

However, as she fixated on her lover's lips, she could visualize the origin of those emotions, disregarding the menacing figures lurking in the shadows behind Liam.

Getting up from where she was, she slowly approached him, longing for her partner's touch.

At that moment, Liam woke from his advancement, noticing his influence on the surroundings, the room much darker than it should have been, but also Mary completely seduced, already undressing for him.

He didn't mind, but left a mental note to be careful where he made his advancements. Meditating could potentially exacerbate some of his unique abilities, while leveling up might have a greater impact on his surroundings than he desires.

It wasn't a problem today, but it was better not to risk it.

'My Aura of Seduction, Aura of Fear, Shadow Projection, and other powers are stronger... Especially those related to the Shadowfiend.' He thought as he stood up, took off his clothes and looked at the already naked woman on his bed.

'It's a pity that the incubus doesn't consume Arcane Crystals, otherwise I could increase my powers even more... But that's okay. Today's progress should be enough for now.'

He climbed into bed, already with no clothes to protect his body, and stared at Mary's nipples, eager to test the dual cultivation after advancement.

According to his theories, the stronger its practitioners were, the more powerful the dual cultivation would be. However, if their cultivation levels were too high, the results would take longer to appear.

But he still needed to analyze more dual cultivation sessions, sessions with people of different characteristics, powers, levels, elemental affinities, and so on.

For now, he only had Mary, but he wanted to replace new partners soon!

"Mmmmm~"

The two kissed while he kept his doubts to himself, with Mary only feeling the urge to have that man on top of her, entering her and direct the mana in the surrounding area into her body.