Chapter 131 - She’s in heat!

As Cale and Niva settled into the sealed cave, with the massive rock door blocking any external interference, they each began their separate cultivation processes.

Niva, being primarily a magic and sword-focused fighter rather than a pure cultivator, didn’t need to spend extended periods in meditation. She simply began absorbing the pills and elixirs she’d claimed from the inheritance, letting their power integrate into her magical circuits and spiritual channels.

Cale, meanwhile, sat across from her and began the process of absorbing the Dao Bones themselves.

It wasn’t a matter of replacing his actual skeleton, his bones were already perfectly formed and powerful. Rather, it was about absorbing the properties and essence of these ancient bones, integrating their daoic nature into his own skeletal structure. It was a subtle process, more akin to layering power than replacement.

Twelve hours passed.

When Cale finally opened his eyes, the system notification arrived:

[Congratulations! host, new dao bones have been found!]

[Choose which attribute would you like to infuse into the bones.

Reminder: once chosen, it cannot be changed for life unless host absorbs another skeletal Dao bone structure!]

[Demonic Dao bones]

[Thunderbird Dao bones]

[Wonderwood Dao bones]

Cale’s eyes widened slightly with surprise. He hadn’t expected to have attribute choices for the Dao Bones. This was a quite the benefit, the ability to enhance the bones’ properties beyond their base state.

He looked toward Niva, who was still absorbed in her cultivation, her body glowing faintly as pills dissolved into her essence.

"I don’t see a flame attribute or water one too," he murmured to himself, considering the options. "Only lightning qi, demonic qi, and wood qi. Hmm, which one do you think would be best suited?"

"From my guess, the Demonic Dao bones are the safest choice. The cult leader had those in my past life."

The system responded immediately:

[Demonic Dao bones are best suited for host as they can enhance host’s constitution by accompanying the Demonic heart.]

"Oh right... that’s true," remembering the Innate Demonic Sword Heart that already resided in his chest. "Good then, do it."

[Integrating Demonic Dao Bones...]

For several seconds, Cale felt the demonic qi within his body begin to shift — not extracted, but rather drawn downward, flowing through his blood into his skeletal structure. The demonic essence was being absorbed by his bones, becoming part of their fundamental nature.

It was a painless process, which surprised him. The demonic qi settled into his skeleton like water finding its level, integrating smoothly and completely.

Cale didn’t use demonic qi extensively in this inheritance — doing so would immediately mark him as a demonic cultivator, which would invite assassination attempts from righteous sects and zealous cultivators. But now that his bones were passively absorbing it in small amounts over time, it wouldn’t be noticeable. The absorption would be gradual, hidden within his normal cultivation processes.

[Finished!]

[Constitution: Innate Demonic Sword Heart, Demonic Dao Bones]

"Good, good," Cale murmured, clenching his fists to test the new power.

His physical strength had increased noticeably, enough that he could feel the difference in his very bones. The demonic nature of the Dao Bones had fused with his existing constitution, creating a foundation far more resilient than before.

He was satisfied with the results.

Then he heard it.

"Haah... hahh... haah..."

Heavy, ragged breathing coming from across the cave.

Cale looked toward Niva and froze.

Her previously pale, bright complexion had transformed into a deep crimson flush. Her breathing was coming in gasps, her entire body trembling with visible strain. Her eyes were glazed, unfocused, and her skin glistened with perspiration.

Cale immediately moved toward her, pressing his palm against her forehead.

It was burning hot, dangerously hot.

"She’s sick?" he muttered, his mind quickly analyzing the symptoms. "No... what did she eat? Ahh, this woman, always annoying!"

He positioned himself behind her and placed both palms flat against her back. Using a technique specifically for extracting harmful energies, he began drawing the violent, chaotic power from her body while simultaneously injecting his own mana to calm her spiritual channels and prevent them from burning out.

Four hours passed in this. Cale maintaining the extraction while Niva’s body gradually stabilized.

Finally, her eyes fluttered open.

She immediately fell backward, her exhausted body collapsing against his lap. She looked up at his face from this vulnerable position, her breathing still heavy but no longer in dangerous gasps.

"What even did you eat?" Cale asked, his fingers stroking her hair with surprising tenderness.

"Heh... it was likely a strong yang pill, or maybe some sort of aphrodisiac..." she said in breaking words, seemingly unbothered by her current position or proximity to him.

"Why would you take something like that?" he asked back, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"I’m Lady Fiora’s guard, did you forget?" she replied weakly. "I too need a decent amount of fire or yang attribute to stay together with her at all times. Her ice aura is so potent that without constant yang cultivation, I’d gradually freeze from the inside out."

Cale’s expression lightened slightly with understanding. He reached up and cupped her cheeks, caressing them gently before pinching them lightly.

"Owww... you bastard..." she whimpered.

’So that’s how it was,’ he thought. ’To help her stay compatible with Fiora’s ice aura, she needs yang pills. But this idiot, taking potent yang pills from a Great Sage’s inheritance without even having someone help her stabilize the process; her mana channels could have burned out completely! Sigh...’

Suddenly, Niva’s arms wrapped loosely around his neck, pulling his head closer.

"Cale..." she mumbled softly.

"Hmm?" he responded, his hand continuing to stroke her hair.

"I... I feel hot... it’s feeling hot..." she whispered directly into his ear, her breath warm against his skin. "Remove my clothes..."

Cale’s eyes widened as the implications became unmistakably clear.

’This damned woman is in heat!’

He moved back, who knew what she might do later on if she knew he took her first time?!

But she didn’t stop pulling him with all her residue power.

Seeing her not stopping, he pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.

"Are you sure?"