A Beauty's Invitation

Lin Fan copied very carefully. With yesterday's experience, he grew more and more skilled.

In just one hour, he finished copying another book of strange tales.

You have copied "Records of Strange Tales from Qingzhou." Reward: Lifespan +10 years.

He was full of motivation. While others stopped to rest, Lin Fan chose to keep copying.

Two hours passed.

You have copied "Records of Strange Hearings." Reward: Lifespan +5 years.

Several hours of continuous copying left Lin Fan exhausted.

He pushed through it, rubbed his brow, and looked at the Lifespan column on the panel. It had become 75.

"Sure enough, the more books I copy, the more lifespan I gain."

"But how do I use the Pre-emptive Dao Fruit to pre-empt the corresponding Technique Proficiency?"

"Since it's Technique Proficiency, I naturally have to cultivate a technique first!"

Suddenly, Lin Fan remembered—in his cloth pouch, wasn't there a cultivation method for Menial Disciples?

He immediately took out a jade slip and, following Wang Biao's reminder from yesterday, pressed it against his forehead.

The next second, a complex and obscure technique's content surged into Lin Fan's mind out of nowhere.

"Basic Demonic Art."

This was the cultivation method for the Menial Disciples of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion!

Will you consume fifteen years of lifespan to pre-empt Basic Demonic Art to the Beginner level?

At that moment, a line of glowing text suddenly appeared before Lin Fan.

Lin Fan thought for a moment and immediately said, "Agree to pre-empt."

Suddenly, Lin Fan's mind shook. A surge of insights about the "Basic Demonic Art" emerged from nowhere and poured into his brain.

At the same time, a strange image appeared in his mind: a young man who looked exactly like Lin Fan sat cross-legged amidst a blizzard, cultivating the Basic Demonic Art. From clumsy at first to familiar, he guided the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into his body, transforming it into an endless stream of Internal Force.

From a single thread of Internal Force at the start, it eventually became a steady trickle.

Lin Fan subconsciously followed along, cultivating the Basic Demonic Art. He felt his pores open, and strands of cool spiritual energy flowed into his body.

Deep within his originally empty dantian, a wisp of Internal Force suddenly emerged, bringing an indescribable comfort to his limbs and bones.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Fan snapped back to reality. He immediately called up the panel to check his changes.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 60

Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit

Realm: First Grade of Spirit Gathering Realm

Technique: Basic Demonic Art (Beginner)

"It only took fifteen years of lifespan to get this 'Basic Demonic Art' to Beginner level, and it even pushed me into the First Grade of Spirit Gathering Realm!"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

In this world, immortals and demons rose side by side, but the cultivation system was largely the same. In summary, it was the Six Realms and Nine Grades: Spirit Gathering Realm, Meridian Condensing Realm, Bone Tempering Realm, Mountain Splitting Realm, Cloud Soaring Realm, and Dao Integration Realm.

Each major realm was further divided into nine grades.

Among the Menial Disciples of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, aside from newcomers like Lin Fan, almost everyone else was in the Spirit Gathering Realm.

"It's not just a change in realm. My focus and the strength in my grip are many times stronger than before."

"As long as I copy more books, I'll gain more lifespan, pre-empt higher Technique Proficiency, and become stronger in both realm and physique."

Lin Fan felt a quiet joy.

After last night's events and witnessing two corpses this morning, he deeply understood that to survive here, he needed enough strength.

Suddenly, a light, pleasant voice rang out.

"You're Lin Fan, right?"

Lin Fan instinctively looked up at the woman before him.

If he remembered correctly, she was the one Wang Biao had stopped yesterday.

The woman had a lovely face, fair and delicate skin, a slender waist, and long, straight legs—a strikingly beautiful woman.

She showed her token, which read: "Menial Disciple of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, Feng Ling."

"Is something the matter?"

After last night's events, Lin Fan felt a bit more wary of people who approached him on their own.

Feng Ling smiled sweetly and asked, "You were taken into that room by Wang Biao yesterday, but today it seems you've fallen out with him. What happened?"

Lin Fan shrugged and said bluntly, "Because I'm not into guys."

"You're honest enough."

Feng Ling's expression relaxed. "None of the newbies Wang Biao dragged into his place before lasted more than a month."

Lin Fan's heart tightened. "Are you saying..."

"You'll find out later." Feng Ling smiled, unwilling to dwell on the topic.

"By the way, I live alone now. Interested in rooming with me?"

"You know, living alone burns through more Everlasting Lamp oil, and with no one to watch your back, it's easy for the evil spirits to smash your door open at night and devour you."

She extended the invitation seriously.

"Why me?"

Lin Fan didn't agree right away; instead, he shot back.

There were plenty of Menial Disciples here. Why had she singled him out? Was she like Wang Biao, eyeing his decent looks?

"Because I believe you're a man of principle."

Feng Ling gave a charming smile, then sighed softly. "Most people here have given up on themselves. They live in fear every day and have lost all basic reason."

"A lot of them just want to vent their desires, using that to fill the void inside."

Hearing this, Lin Fan finally understood what she meant.

"Aren't you afraid I might lose control?" Lin Fan suddenly grinned and asked.

"If you can win me over, I wouldn't mind giving my body to you."

Feng Ling looked straight into Lin Fan's eyes and answered very seriously.

Damn woman, she really made it hard to refuse!

Lin Fan fell silent for a moment. He had a bit of cultivation now, but he was still wary of the unknown dark evil spirits.

Living alone wasn't impossible, but the risk was too great. What if he dozed off one night and the door got smashed in by evil spirits? The consequences were unthinkable.

Until he figured out what those evil spirits really were, Lin Fan didn't want to take chances. Staying alive mattered most!

After mulling it over for a while, he nodded and smiled. "Then let's room together tonight."

Feng Ling beamed. "Good. I'll sit across from you. Once we finish today's tasks, we'll pick a house together."

The other Menial Disciples barely reacted when they noticed Lin Fan and Feng Ling sitting together, as if this sort of thing was routine.

The two sat facing each other, silently copying books.

Feng Ling was lively by nature. Seeing Lin Fan so quiet, she took the initiative to chat and fill him in on the situation.

From Feng Ling, Lin Fan learned that in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, each Menial Disciple had to copy a book ten times to earn 1 Contribution Point. And in the Blood Demon Sect, Contribution Points were universal currency.

They could be used not only for Everlasting Lamps but also for Pills and all kinds of items.

However, from what Lin Fan observed, most Menial Disciples could only manage five or six copies a day. That meant even if they worked themselves to the bone every month, they'd get at most a dozen or so Contribution Points.

"Sister Feng, how many Contribution Points does an Everlasting Lamp cost?"

Lin Fan suddenly stopped and asked.

Feng Ling kept copying as she answered softly, "An Everlasting Lamp only costs 1 Contribution Point, but the oil burns fast. You need another 1 or 2 points each month to refill it."

"So that's 3 to 4 Contribution Points a month just for the lamp."

Lin Fan said thoughtfully.

"Right. And besides the lamp, you also need Grain Abstinence Pills—about ten a month. One Contribution Point only gets you two pills. So when you add it up, most Menial Disciples have almost nothing left to save each month."

Feng Ling sighed lightly.

The Menial Disciples in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion worked themselves ragged every day and still couldn't save many Contribution Points.

Without enough points, they couldn't get the resources needed for cultivation. There was no hope, no way out.

And if one night the evil spirits smashed open their door, they'd be devoured clean.

That was the fate of most Menial Disciples in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Lin Fan's heart felt heavy. Only now did he truly realize how brutal it was to be a Menial Disciple here.

But unlike the others, Lin Fan had his panel to help him. As long as he built up enough strength, even if he couldn't escape the Blood Demon Sect, he'd at least have a shot at becoming a Formal Disciple.

Growing stronger was the only chance to change his fate.

"Oh, and one more thing—don't get hurt while working here. If you do, the sect won't give you time to heal. They'll send someone to dispose of you."

Feng Ling added another warning.

Not long ago, she'd seen an old Menial Disciple who got injured by accident get dealt with on the spot by two Formal Disciples.

"Thanks."

Lin Fan said softly, looking at the girl across from him.

As they talked, the sun slanted westward on the horizon.

"It'll be dark soon."

"Let's go."

After that brief exchange, the two rose at the same time and headed toward the dwellings beside the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

No sooner had they stepped out of the pavilion's main gate than Lin Fan suddenly spotted Wang Biao leading a youth toward one of the huts.

Wang Biao saw Lin Fan too, but only snorted coldly and brushed past him like a stranger.

"That newcomer who just arrived today—he's probably doomed to fall into Wang Biao's clutches."

Feng Ling shook her head. Almost every day, one or two new arrivals came to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, which also meant that some old Menial Disciples died.

"Hope he has luck on his side."

Lin Fan sighed softly.

He and Feng Ling found an empty hut and moved in together. Last night, he had been the one on guard against Wang Biao; tonight, it was Feng Ling keeping watch over Lin Fan.

But Lin Fan never overstepped his bounds, which put Feng Ling's mind at ease.

Since Lin Fan didn't yet have enough Contribution Points to exchange for an Everlasting Lamp, he used Feng Ling's instead.

Seeing that Lin Fan was behaving properly, Feng Ling immediately split the bed in half and let him sleep on it.

"The evil spirit came up from the cliff bottom last night. Under normal circumstances, it won't come again tonight."

"No need to keep watch. Let's sleep together."

Feng Ling extended the invitation herself.

Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, her pretty face flushed slightly, and her skin was fair and delicate, exuding a faint fragrance.

A flicker of heat stirred in Lin Fan's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

"I'm coming..."

With a beauty's invitation, he certainly wouldn't refuse.