"Why are you naked?

"

Ryu finished adjusting himself, only to open his eyes to find a blood boiling sight.

Why were all the women in his life like this? Elena was always doing that sort of thing, and the first time he met Ailsa she hadn't been wearing anything either. This wasn't the second time he had seen Ailsa like this either. It was just that he tried his best to scrub it clean from his memory. She was simply too enticing.

No matter how cold he was, he was ultimately a man attracted to women.

"While you're enjoying the sight, take off your clothes as well. Our intimacy is not yet deep enough to do this clothed. You can only blame yourself.

"

Ailsa's teasing words weren't exactly wrong. In fact, they were quite accurate.

Ryu shook his head and obliged. He stripped his chest bare.

"Those have to go too.

"

Ailsa giggled lightly, the long golden hair that had covered her most sensitive parts parting ever so slightly to reveal two undulating mounds of flesh. Her skin looked so soft that even the slightest touch would bruise her.

Ryu sighed, taking off his lower undergarments. He didn't believe that Ailsa was taking advantage of him. Maybe years ago, when they first met, he would have been defensive toward such asks, but their relationship had at least evolved enough for him to trust that she understood boundaries. He trusted that if this wasn't entirely necessary, she wouldn't ask it of him.

Ailsa, seemingly understanding that Ryu had this trust in her, felt a warmth in her heart. Her smile became less teasing and more genuine.

When Ryu was ready, she climbed into his lap, resting her soft back to his broad chest.

She was quite tall for a woman, standing at just over six feet tall. However, she was still completely enveloped by Ryu. Like a pair of nesting dolls, she perfectly fit in her place.

"Place your open palms upwards on your thighs.

"

Ryu steadied his breathing, obliging. He had already realized why Ailsa felt this was necessary. He could feel her heartbeat through her back. And, the moment he laid the back of his hands on his crossed legs and her palms slipped into his, their level of synchronization reached near perfection.

Their breathing, their hearts, and their blood rushed and beat together. And, maybe the most important point was that Ailsa's time limit for staying in her full form was extended practically indefinitely.

The only drawback of this method was that Ryu had to calm his mind once again. Dealing with Ailsa's delicate fragrance or her soft back to his chest was one thing. But, the feeling of her plump bottom separating into two on a particularly sensitive part of his wasn't so easy to ignore.

It took Ryu half an hour before he managed to regain his same state of calm. Ailsa seemed to understand this, so other than smiling a satisfied smile to herself, she said nothing else. In fact, she went out of her way to not move a single inch.

Slowly but sure, Ryu's lower regions which were threatening to roar and display their might, cooled and he managed to enter the first State of Meditation. Moments later, he entered Breath of Earth. Then, finally, Breath of Heaven.

'Good…'

Ailsa didn't actually speak, nor did she use a Qi Line technique. All she did was think the words and Ryu managed to easily comprehend her intentions without them exchanging so much as a gaze.

All around the pair, a dense array drawn of blood slowly chilled around them. However, one would never guess what they were made of. The lines were too clean and precise. It was as though they were drawn with curved rulers on a sheet of paper.

There was only one clue as to the origin of this array's lines. At every node, there were large bowls forged of beast bone, filled to the brim with blood and process Spiritual Root with a mixture of unknown Spiritual Herbs.

The temperature of the room continued to plummet.

A day later, the pair still hadn't moved an inch, but frost had begun to appear all around the room.

For context, although this room was no longer of the Tier 9 level, this was only because its arrays had deteriorated. The materials of the room itself were completely untouched. For it to chill enough for frost to begin to appear on its parts was completely unprecedented.

At the same time though, it was only because of the strength of these materials that the room had yet to completely crack and collapse, while Ryu and Ailsa's action could remain hidden from those outside.

At this point, even Ryu, who was practically impervious to cold, felt that his lips were beginning to turn blue.

Another day past. It had already been a long time since Ryu slipped out from Breath of Heaven. Just half an hour had already been his previous limit, and that was already vastly improved from where he had been in the past. Staying in it for two days was nearly impossible. At this point, the lowest State of Meditation was the best he could do.

Ailsa remained unaffected. After all, although she couldn't use her strength on the Real Plane due to her intimacy with Ryu being too low, she was still ultimately the equivalent of a Cosmic Seed Realm expert.

The days became something crossed between a test of endurance and torture for Ryu. Ailsa had conveniently forgotten to explain just how painful this would be.

Ryu feared that his eyelids were probably frozen closed. The moisture in his skin was seized, shrinking in on itself and splintering his body in several places. In all likelihood, if he tried to stand now, the parts of his body contacted with the ground would rip from his body.

'Hold on… We're almost there…'

Ultimately, the level of extreme yin Ryu needed was only of the Immortal Ring level, or the Seventh Order as it was formally known as. However, Ailsa knew that Ryu could handle more. So, she pushed it, seeking the Eighth Order.

Any other person with an Immortal Ring level body would have shattered into a block of ice by now. However, Ryu had his Ice Phoenix Bloodline. His limits were obviously beyond others!

'There…!'

Ailsa's thoughts rang out once more and the formation suddenly shifted, crackling with violent ripples of lightning that surged from the blood that had been suppressed to now.

The temperature surged, flipping in the blink of an eye as lightning began to soar through the air.

They arched forward, meeting above the pair and piercing into Ryu's back.