Chapter 136 synchronization of spiritual energy in the queen’s core

Chapter 136: 136 synchronization of spiritual energy in the queen’s core

The royal chambers remained sheltered by the silence of the night.

The light from the small spiritual lamps reflected off the dark wood and the pale fabrics covering the bed, while the cold mountain air entered through the window, carrying the smell of damp earth and smoke.

Ariselle finished placing the last ornaments on the table. Without the bracelets and ceremonial symbols she usually wore before the council, she seemed less distant.

Weariness still weighed on her shoulders, and the small scales near her temples had lost some of their usual luster.

The thin serpents that formed her hair moved slowly, reacting to the energy that still did not entirely obey her will.

Yun Che observed her for a few moments before removing the white mask that concealed most of his face.

Ariselle’s newfound strength was real, but her core was still adapting to the True Profound Realm.

The energy that had once traveled along familiar pathways now pressed against the limits of her body, demanding a circulation she still couldn’t control perfectly.

"Before we begin, I want you to tell me exactly what you’re feeling," Yun Che requested.

Ariselle turned toward him. Her light green eyes retained their usual firmness, although exhaustion cast a deeper shadow over them.

"There are moments when everything seems perfectly clear. I can feel the energy inside me and guide it without difficulty. Then, without warning, it deepens and escapes the rhythm I’ve established. It isn’t exactly pain. It’s like trying to hold a river in my hands."

"That indicates that your core has recognized the new realm but hasn’t fully adapted to it yet. The power is there; the problem lies in the circulation."

"Then simply waiting isn’t enough?"

"Waiting might help, but it won’t necessarily resolve the irregularity. Dual cultivation should allow your energy to find a stable rhythm when it comes into contact with another spiritual essence. I won’t force your breakthrough or introduce energy directly into your core. First, we need to observe its response."

Ariselle studied him for a few moments before allowing a hint of humor to appear.

"You explain everything as if you were about to repair an ancient formation."

"A formation doesn’t usually ignore instructions out of pride."

The serpents in her hair raised their heads almost simultaneously. The Queen let out a short, tired but sincere laugh.

"Are you saying my core is proud?"

"I’m saying its owner is."

"You must feel very brave speaking like that inside my chambers."

"If I were worried about your authority, I wouldn’t be able to guide you through this process."

Ariselle held his gaze, and the teasing eased the tension that had been weighing on her shoulders.

There was already enough trust between them that they didn’t need to fill every silence with words, although neither of them confused trust with a lack of caution.

Yun Che sat on the edge of the bed and extended his hand. Ariselle accepted the gesture and sat down in front of him.

For a few moments, they kept their hands joined while he examined the initial reactions of her energy.

The Queen’s essence wasn’t chaotic. It was simply too concentrated in certain channels and insufficiently distributed in others.

At the center of her being, a deep pulse expanded and receded like a restrained tide.

A translucent window appeared in Yun Che’s perception.

[Supreme Dual Cultivation System: Analysis initiated.]

[Target: Ariselle.]

[Current Realm: True Profound.]

[Core Status: Incomplete adaptation.]

[Irregularity detected: Rhythm difference between the core and spiritual channels.]

[Recommendation: Gradual synchronization. Avoid sudden energy transfer.]

Yun Che read the messages in silence. The system had identified the problem, but the analysis did not eliminate the need for direct observation.

Only Ariselle’s response would allow him to determine whether the correction was working.

"Close your eyes. Don’t try to control every movement. Feel your core and follow the flow without forcing it in a particular direction."

Ariselle obeyed. The serpents in her hair slowly lowered their heads, and her breathing became more regular.

Yun Che kept his hand over hers, attentive to the first changes. At first, the energy circulated in small waves.

The Queen’s spiritual presence filled the space between them, warm and steady, while Yun Che’s essence responded with a more restrained vibration.

The two currents touched and withdrew, as if testing how far they could travel without losing their own forms.

"Don’t try to pull my energy," he explained. "Let the flows recognize each other. When you feel resistance, don’t fight it. Reduce the pressure and wait."

"I understand."

Her voice came out softly. With her eyes closed, Ariselle tried to distinguish the changes within her own body.

Yun Che’s energy was different from that of any cultivator with whom she had ever shared a formation. It didn’t attempt to dominate her essence, nor did it disperse at the first contact.

It advanced patiently, following the variations in her flow.

The system issued another message.

[First Phase: Spiritual contact established.]

[Synchronization: 18%.]

[Guidance: Maintain steady breathing. Do not accelerate circulation during the first convergence.]

Yun Che adjusted his posture and instructed Ariselle to inhale slowly, hold her breath for a brief moment, and release it without interrupting the flow.

Whenever she breathed in too quickly, the energy accumulated near her core. Whenever she exhaled with excessive force, part of the current lost its continuity and flowed back through the overloaded channels.

Little by little, the Queen found a more natural rhythm.

The room began to change. No explosion shattered the silence, nor did an intense flash of light appear.

Only a subtle glow traveled along the lines carved into the wooden bed and spread across the floor. The spiritual lamps flickered, while the pale fabrics lifted slightly despite the absence of wind.

The energy that had previously stirred around Ariselle began forming slow circles, enveloping them both without exerting excessive pressure.

She opened her eyes.

"I can feel the difference. The energy is still profound, but it no longer pushes the channels from the inside out."

"Don’t try to take advantage of that sensation to advance faster. Stability comes before strength."

"I know that."

"Then prove it."

Ariselle narrowed her eyes, apparently tempted to respond with another teasing remark. However, she closed her eyelids again and followed his instructions.

Yun Che was pleased with her decision. The Queen was accustomed to commanding warriors and bearing the pressure of an entire people.

Accepting guidance required a different kind of discipline: recognizing that insisting on one’s own will could be just as dangerous as hesitating.

As the practice progressed, the proximity between them became more intimate. Ariselle leaned toward him, and Yun Che carefully supported her, allowing them to find a comfortable position that would maintain the circulation without interruption.

No movement was rushed. The goal wasn’t to overcome resistance through force, but to establish a connection capable of sustaining the exchange of spiritual essence.

Their breathing began to follow the same rhythm, and the energy responded with a smoothness that hadn’t existed at the beginning.

A new message appeared before Yun Che.

[Second Phase: Resonance between essences.]

[Synchronization: 37%.]

[Primary irregularity reduced.]

[Recommendation: Deepen the connection without increasing spiritual pressure.]

Yun Che noticed the change even before consulting the window. Ariselle’s essence no longer advanced in uneven waves.

Her core continued pulsing with strength, but each expansion was followed by a more orderly contraction.

The energy passing between them had stopped disappearing or accumulating excessively. It was received, distributed, and returned to the circuit in a continuous movement.

Ariselle felt the difference as well. Her fingers tightened slightly around his, signaling that she had noticed the same change.

"It’s working," she murmured.

"It’s starting to work. We aren’t finished yet."

"You really don’t know how to celebrate a small victory."

"If you celebrate too early, your core will take the opportunity to contradict you."

She released a breath that almost turned into a laugh. The tension between them changed in nature: it was no longer the apprehension of those waiting for something to go wrong, but the concentration of two people beginning to understand each other’s rhythm.

Ariselle stopped trying to predict every movement of the energy and began responding to what she felt instead.

Yun Che, in turn, abandoned unnecessary corrections and limited his interventions to moments when the flow approached a point of instability.

The synchronization was still far from complete, but the Queen’s core was finally beginning to adapt to the new realm.