Excessive Request

In the cottage, Feng Ling shed her night attire and changed into the robes of a Menial Disciple.

Gazing at the bloodstained note in her hand, Feng Ling's eyes reddened, her heart brimming with grief.

She murmured softly, "Senior Sister, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."

"One day, I will avenge you."

Two streaks of clear tears slowly traced down her cheeks.

It was only after a long moment that her emotions finally settled.

Feng Ling replayed the earlier scene in her mind—if not for the sudden pebble that blocked the flying needles for her, she might not have escaped either.

"Someone helped me tonight."

"But who could it be? Could the sect have sent others to infiltrate the Demon Sect besides my senior sister and me?"

Soon, however, Feng Ling shook her head and dismissed that guess.

It had already cost the sect considerable effort to help her and her senior sister infiltrate the Demon Sect; sending anyone else would be difficult, and even if they had, they would have secretly informed her.

The next day, at dawn.

Lin Fan had just stepped out the door when he noticed a crowd of Menial Disciples gathered not far away.

"Brother Lin, what's going on over there?"

Zhou Wanqing asked, curious.

She had slept especially soundly last night; if Lin Fan hadn't called her in the morning, she might not have woken up at all.

"Let's go take a look."

Lin Fan led Zhou Wanqing over.

The next second, Zhou Wanqing's pretty face turned deathly pale, and her stomach churned so violently she couldn't help but retch.

A headless female corpse was hanging beneath the eaves, its rotting stench drawing countless flies that crawled all over the body.

Lin Fan's heart jolted. If he wasn't mistaken, this corpse belonged to that delicate young girl named "Qiao'er."

The surrounding Menial Disciples buzzed with speculation; some guessed this was a body left behind after being savagely killed by Bloodthirsty Demonic Insects last night.

Most people had no idea what had happened the previous night, so they could only guess wildly.

Lin Fan knew the inside story, and for this corpse to be openly displayed here was likely the work of a Formal Disciple of the Demon Sect, meant as a warning to others.

"Those who sneak into the Demon Sect as spies—their fates are truly more miserable than the last."

Lin Fan sighed softly and turned away with Zhou Wanqing.

Just after he left, Feng Ling also approached. Looking at the tragic headless corpse, her face showed neither joy nor sorrow, but inside, her heart was filled with overwhelming grief.

Not far off, a Formal Disciple in dark robes was observing the many menials gathered around the headless corpse.

He watched everyone's reactions closely; anyone who showed even a trace of sorrow, he would seize without hesitation.

The lives of Menial Disciples were as cheap as weeds. Aside from Lin Fan, who knew the truth, and Feng Ling, who was involved, the death of the delicate young girl stirred almost no one else.

In the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, Lin Fan silently copied books.

[You have copied "Wandering Chronicles." Reward: Lifespan +5 years.]

[You have copied "Bronze Mountain Record." Reward: Lifespan +8 years.]

[You have copied "Mystic Treasures Chapter." Reward: Lifespan +10 years.]

After another day of copying, Lin Fan gained another thirty-two years of lifespan. Adding the lifespan from the previous day's copying, his lifespan column now read [443].

[Do you wish to consume forty years of lifespan to pre-advance Intermediate Demonic Arts to Mastery?]

At that moment, a line of text only he could see appeared before Lin Fan's eyes.

Lin Fan immediately said, "Agree to the pre-advancement."

Soon, more insights into "Intermediate Demonic Arts" flooded into Lin Fan's mind.

The next second, another image surfaced—still that young man who resembled Lin Fan, now practicing leg techniques, his movements even smoother and more fluid than last time.

His motions were so fast they left afterimages, and with his final kick, he even produced a startling sound of force breaking the air.

"Using leg techniques to forge leg force—one kick like thunder splitting the sky!"

Lin Fan was stunned. So leg techniques could be trained like this!

His heart itched to try, but he didn't start practicing immediately. Instead, he greeted Zhou Wanqing and then walked out of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Once he reached a secluded corner, Lin Fan began practicing the leg techniques, following the young man's movements.

His actions were extremely familiar, and with the insights in his mind, he soon noticed that with every kick, the Internal Force in his dantian unconsciously gathered in his legs, producing a startling sound of air being torn.

With Internal Force empowering them, the leg techniques' power surged, forming a unique leg force.

Lin Fan focused his mind, and with each move, he increasingly embodied the bearing of a leg technique grandmaster. Unbeknownst to him, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy continuously converged from all directions.

His legs and feet grew light, and he felt that in his dantian, the Internal Force, which had been like eight or nine hemp ropes, had now increased to over a dozen.

After finishing his practice, Lin Fan immediately summoned his panel to check his latest changes.

[Name: Lin Fan]

[Lifespan: 373]

[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]

[Realm: Spirit Gathering Realm, Seventh Rank]

[Techniques: Intermediate Demonic Arts (Proficient), Blood Gathering Art (Proficient)]

"Spirit Gathering Realm, Seventh Rank. At this rate, it won't be long before I rise to the Eighth or even Ninth Rank."

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

Now that he had the "Blood Gathering Art" to help conceal his cultivation, he didn't have to worry about the problem of advancing too quickly for the time being.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Lin Fan had fully adapted to this place. Every day, he earned Lifespan rewards by copying books, and he used the Pre-emptive Dao Fruit to consume Lifespan and raise the proficiency of his corresponding techniques.

As his strength grew, Lin Fan became increasingly low-key.

In contrast, Wang Biao and a few other old Menial Disciples grew more and more arrogant. To quickly raise their cultivation, every time new people arrived, they would act like madmen—either luring newcomers into Dual Cultivation with false promises or forcing them to agree through threats.

Such behavior disgusted many and repelled the newcomers, but in the face of absolute strength, the new Menial Disciples had no way to resist.

In just two months, not to mention the other old Menial Disciples, Wang Biao alone had ruined five or six boys and girls.

And this situation, far from being stopped by those above, received even more tacit approval.

"Human life is as cheap as grass."

Lin Fan could only sigh softly.

He, too, was a Menial Disciple. Though he had some strength, he couldn't change anything.

Here, he didn't even know how long he himself could live—how could he care for others?

Every time she watched one boy or girl after another get drained and disappear, Zhou Wanqing secretly thanked herself for her earlier decision to choose Lin Fan.

Aside from the crazy actions of Wang Biao and a few other old Menial Disciples catching Lin Fan's attention, Feng Ling's transformation also amazed him.

Since the death of the delicate young girl, she had become a different person and started living with a man.

She chose a frail young man named Fang Jie, and the two had been getting along without incident.

When someone died, someone else would arrive.

Batch after batch of newcomers came every few days, and then batch after batch died, like an endless cycle from which there was no escape.

Night fell...

Feng Ling and Fang Jie sat facing each other. They had been living together for a while without any physical relationship, treating each other with respect.

Feng Ling's eyes were bright, her skin snow-white and delicate, her waist slender and supple, her legs straight and long.

Gazing at Feng Ling's graceful figure, Fang Jie swallowed his saliva and said, "Sister Feng, if you're willing to give yourself to me, I'll do whatever you say from now on."

Feng Ling glanced at him and asked, "The premise of my agreeing to live with you was that we keep to ourselves."

"Are you trying to break the agreement?"

"I don't want to, but Sister Feng, you're just too much—I can't hold back anymore." Fang Jie's eyes burned with desire as he begged, "My talent isn't bad. If you nod and agree, I'm willing to let you drain me dry."

"I know, Sister Feng, you want to become a Formal Disciple in three months."

"I don't need that." Feng Ling shook her head and refused decisively.

"Since that's the case, don't blame me."

Fang Jie let out a sinister laugh and suddenly lunged at Feng Ling.

"You really aren't any good either."

Feng Ling sighed softly and struck out ruthlessly with her bare hand.

The next day, Fang Jie vanished mysteriously. Feng Ling told others that he had sleepwalked the night before, opened the door on his own, and was devoured by the Bloodthirsty Demonic Insects.

"Big brother, good big brother, drain me a little more..."

"Harder, I want more, even more."

"Please, faster, faster..."

With only three months left until the assessment, Zhou Wanqing was very nervous.

Over these past few months, she had found that not only had her body not broken down, but it had become even healthier than before, driving her almost mad.

If she was getting healthier, didn't that mean Lin Fan was "draining" her less?

If Lin Fan failed the test and couldn't become a Formal Disciple, then she would never have a chance to rise above.

Lin Fan was a good person, but she didn't want him to keep wasting away like this.

At this moment, Zhou Wanqing completely cast aside her moral restraints and frantically demanded that Lin Fan "drain" her dry.

Faced with such an "excessive" request, Lin Fan couldn't very well refuse; he could only straighten his back and display his prowess.

In the blink of an eye, another three months passed, and finally the day of the assessment arrived.