Joy and Worry

The bed was not small, and was large enough for two people to lie down.

But with a beauty by his side, and the faint fragrance of her body drifting over from next door, Lin Fan's thoughts ran wild. He tossed and turned for a while, unable to fall asleep.

"Sister Feng, do you think menial disciples like us can become Formal Disciples?"

Lin Fan knew Feng Ling was not asleep either, so he spoke up and asked.

Feng Ling opened her beautiful eyes and said quietly, "I've been at the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for over a month, but I've never seen a menial disciple here become a Formal Disciple."

"I've heard them say that to become a Formal Disciple, you have to reach at least the fifth grade of the Spirit Gathering Realm."

"And for a menial disciple to reach that level, without excellent aptitude or enough Contribution Points to exchange for pills and other cultivation resources, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven no matter how much time they spent."

Lin Fan could sense the helpless complexity in Feng Ling's tone.

"So, put that way, there's no hope in sight."

Lin Fan let out a soft sigh.

"It's not that there's no hope at all."

Feng Ling suddenly changed tack and continued, "Do you remember me mentioning that not a single newcomer who shared a room with Wang Biao had survived for more than a month?"

"Sister Feng, you mean..."

"It's not just Wang Biao. There are several other veterans here. Any menial disciple who shares a room with them, male or female, fails to survive for more than a month."

"And I've paid special attention to this. The cultivation levels of Wang Biao and the others are far higher than those of the other menial disciples."

At this point, Feng Ling suddenly looked at Lin Fan and gave a light laugh. "Dual Cultivation might be a decent choice."

Lin Fan had already guessed the reason, so he was not surprised.

He smiled slightly and asked tentatively, "Sister Feng, if you don't mind, the two of us..."

Through the panel's Pre-emptive Dao Fruit, Lin Fan had advanced the Basic Demonic Art to the entry level, and he had also inferred that this cultivation method possessed a certain Dual Cultivation effect.

"Of course I mind. If we really did practice Dual Cultivation, would you be willing to let me absorb from you, or would I be willing to let you absorb from me?"

Feng Ling rolled her eyes and said irritably.

Lin Fan was speechless for a moment and could only smile before dropping the subject.

In truth, he did not need Dual Cultivation to improve his cultivation. It was just that if the sect noticed later that his cultivation had advanced too quickly, he would inevitably invite trouble.

The people of the Devil Dao Sect had always acted cold-bloodedly and cruelly.

If they saw a menial disciple with mediocre aptitude suddenly make tremendous progress in cultivation, their first thought would not be to nurture him. Most likely, they would choose to slice him up and study him!

Thus, Lin Fan had inexplicably begun entertaining an idea, hoping to find a reasonable explanation for continuing to improve his cultivation in the future.

"You should sleep. We still have work tomorrow."

Feng Ling reminded him softly.

Lin Fan nodded and slowly fell asleep under the spell of drowsiness.

In the darkness, listening to Lin Fan's steady breathing, Feng Ling's beautiful eyes flickered. No one knew what she was thinking.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

The two of them had spent the night in peace, allowing Lin Fan and Feng Ling to establish a sliver of trust between them.

To avoid injuring his wrist, Lin Fan slowed his book-copying pace somewhat. After another day of hard work, he copied five books and gained thirty-five years of lifespan, bringing his total lifespan from the original sixty to ninety-five years.

Would you like to consume twenty years of lifespan to advance the Basic Demonic Art to mastery?

At that moment, another line of glowing text appeared before Lin Fan's eyes.

Lin Fan no longer hesitated. "I agree to the advancement."

As soon as he spoke, an even deeper comprehension of the "Basic Demonic Art" surged into his mind once more.

At the same time, another scene appeared in his mind. A youth who looked exactly like Lin Fan was no longer sitting cross-legged on the ground. Instead, he had united his waist and legs and was practicing a fist technique. His movements went from stiff at the beginning to incomparably fluid by the end.

As the fist technique went from slow to fast, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth surged into his body at an even faster rate, transforming into surging, unceasing Internal Force.

"This is the fist technique contained within the Basic Demonic Art."

"By practicing the fists, it accelerates the absorption and refinement of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth."

Lin Fan gained enlightenment.

He did not rush to practice it. Instead, he found an opportunity to leave the first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion and locate an unoccupied corner. He immediately followed the scene in his mind and practiced the fist technique.

Although this was clearly his first time practicing it, Lin Fan moved like a fist master who had trained for many years, his movements fierce and incredibly smooth.

As his pores opened, streams of spiritual energy poured into Lin Fan's body.

Inside his dantian, the Internal Force that had originally been as thin as threads swelled until it was as thick as hemp rope. As it circulated through his meridians, it made his entire body feel incomparably comfortable.

After a while, Lin Fan summoned the panel and checked his latest changes.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 85

Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit

Realm: Second Grade of Spirit Gathering Realm

Cultivation Method: Basic Demonic Art (Mastery)

"It's only been a short day, yet the cultivation method has already reached mastery. Reaching minor achievement is just around the corner."

"Even the effects of Dual Cultivation would have a hard time achieving this cultivation speed, right?"

Lin Fan was both delighted and worried.

He was delighted because the panel's effects were simply heaven-defying. He was worried because if he continued improving at this rate, it would be difficult not to be noticed by the people of the Blood Demon Sect.

"I've been looking for you for ages. So you were here."

Just then, a light and pleasant voice rang out.

Lin Fan came back to himself and looked at the approaching Feng Ling with a smile. "I copied books for too long and felt a little dizzy and bleary-eyed, so I came out for a walk."

"That's only natural. After all, you have to balance work and rest."

Feng Ling nodded, then continued, "You weren't there just now, but a Formal Disciple came over to notify us that the menial disciples will undergo the Monthly Test in three days."

Noticing Lin Fan's confusion, Feng Ling explained, "Everyone who becomes a menial disciple has passed the sect's examination, but the examination may have missed something. So every month, the sect sends someone to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion to conduct a retest."

"If a menial disciple has sufficiently good aptitude or has reached the Meridian Condensing Realm, they may be promoted to a Formal Disciple."

Lin Fan suddenly understood. Put plainly, the sect was not at ease, so it arranged the Monthly Test to check the menial disciples' progress.

At that moment, Lin Fan inwardly realized that things were bad.

"I've only been at the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for a few days, and I haven't practiced Dual Cultivation with anyone. If someone notices something suspicious, what should I do?"

The more Lin Fan thought about it, the more troublesome it seemed.

Ordinary menial disciples would have a hard time noticing his recent explosive cultivation progress, but what about those Formal Disciples? Could he really hide it from them?

Once he was exposed, wouldn't Lin Fan be dragged off to be sliced up and studied in a matter of minutes?

This was a Devil Dao Sect, after all. They would not care about human feelings!

"Sister Feng, how is the Monthly Test conducted?"

Lin Fan asked.

He had to understand the Monthly Test's exact process. If there were any loopholes, he could avoid exposing his true cultivation level.

"I took part in a Monthly Test once. The process was quite simple. A Formal Disciple watched from start to finish, while the menial disciples only had to inject their strength into the Spirit Testing Stone."

"The menial disciples' condition was judged according to the Spirit Testing Stone's reaction."

Feng Ling spoke softly.

"I understand."

Lin Fan pondered this.

If what Feng Ling said was true, there might be some room for maneuver.

However, before the Monthly Test, he could not recklessly use the panel to improve his cultivation anymore, lest he increase the risk of exposure.

Staying alive here was more important than anything else!

After returning to the first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, Lin Fan and Feng Ling continued copying books. When the sun slanted westward, the two of them returned to their quarters along with everyone else.

Much like the previous day, Lin Fan ran into Wang Biao again, as well as the youth who lived with him.

Compared with yesterday, however, that youth's face was sallow and emaciated, and his eyes were dull and lifeless. He had clearly been "drained" by Wang Biao until he was malnourished!

Seeing this scene, Lin Fan secretly rejoiced at his wise resistance the night before last. Otherwise, he might have ended up in the same state.