Joy and Worry

The bed was not small, easily enough for two to lie down.

But with a beauty beside him, the faint scent of her body drifting over, Lin Fan's mind wandered restlessly, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

"Sister Feng, do you think we Menial Disciples can ever become Formal Disciples?"

Knowing Feng Ling was also still awake, Lin Fan asked.

Feng Ling opened her lovely eyes and said softly, "I've been at the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for over a month now, and I've never seen a Menial Disciple here become a Formal Disciple."

"I've heard them say that to become a Formal Disciple, you need at least Spirit Gathering Realm Fifth Grade cultivation."

"And for a Menial Disciple to reach that level, without exceptional talent or enough Contribution Points to exchange for Pills and other training resources, it's as hard as reaching the sky, no matter how much time you spend."

Lin Fan could sense a complex, helpless tone in Feng Ling's voice.

"So there's no hope in sight," Lin Fan said with a light sigh.

"It's not completely hopeless."

Feng Ling suddenly shifted the topic. "Do you remember what I mentioned—that none of the newcomers who lived with Wang Biao lasted more than a month?"

"Sister Feng, you mean..."

"It's not just Wang Biao. There are a few other old-timers here. Every Menial Disciple who shares a room with them, male or female, doesn't survive a month."

"And I've paid close attention—people like Wang Biao have cultivation levels far above the other Menial Disciples."

At this point, Feng Ling turned to look at Lin Fan and chuckled lightly. "Dual Cultivation might not be a bad choice."

Lin Fan had already guessed this reason and wasn't surprised.

He smiled faintly and tested the waters. "Sister Feng, if you don't mind, how about you and I..."

Through the panel's Pre-emptive Dao Fruit, Lin Fan had advanced the Basic Demonic Art to the entry level and deduced that this cultivation method had some Dual Cultivation effects.

"Of course I mind. If we really did Dual Cultivation, would you rather let me drain you, or would I let you drain me?"

Feng Ling rolled her eyes and said irritably.

Lin Fan was speechless for a moment and could only laugh, dropping the topic.

In truth, he didn't need Dual Cultivation to boost his cultivation. But if the sect later noticed his rapid progress, it would inevitably cause trouble.

The ways of demonic cultivators were always cold and ruthless.

If they saw a low-talent Menial Disciple like Lin Fan suddenly surging in cultivation, their first thought wouldn't be to nurture him—they'd likely cut him open for research!

So Lin Fan couldn't help but entertain the idea, just to have a reasonable explanation for his future growth.

"Time to sleep. We've got work tomorrow," Feng Ling reminded softly.

Lin Fan nodded and, with drowsiness creeping in, slowly drifted off.

In the darkness, listening to Lin Fan's steady breathing, Feng Ling's eyes flickered, her thoughts unknown.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

The night had passed without incident, allowing Lin Fan and Feng Ling to build a sliver of trust.

To avoid injuring his wrist, Lin Fan slowed his copying pace. After another day's effort, he transcribed five books, gaining 35 years of Lifespan. His total Lifespan grew from 60 to 95 years.

[Will you consume twenty years of Lifespan to pre-advance Basic Demonic Art to Proficiency?]

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

Without hesitation, Lin Fan said, "Agree to pre-advance."

The moment the words left his mouth, a surge of deeper insights into the Basic Demonic Art flooded his mind.

At the same time, another scene appeared in his thoughts: a youth who looked exactly like Lin Fan was no longer sitting cross-legged but standing in a stable stance, practicing fist techniques. His movements started stiff but soon became fluid and seamless.

As the fist techniques went from slow to fast, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy poured into his body at an accelerated rate, transforming into surging Internal Force.

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

"By practicing the forms, I speed up the absorption and refinement of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy."

Lin Fan grasped the insight.

He didn't rush to practice. Instead, he found a chance to leave the first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, locate a secluded corner, and immediately began training the fist techniques from the image in his mind.

Though it was his first time, Lin Fan moved like a seasoned boxer—sharp, smooth, flawless.

As his pores opened, streams of spiritual energy surged into his body.

In his dantian, the thread-thin Internal Force swelled to the thickness of a rope, circulating through his meridians and filling him with comfort.

After a moment, Lin Fan summoned the panel to check his latest status.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 85

Talent: Prepaid Dao Fruit

Realm: Spirit Gathering Realm, Second Grade

Technique: Basic Demon Art (Mastery)

"Only a single day has passed, and the art is already at Mastery. Minor Success is just around the corner."

"At this rate of cultivation, even Dual Cultivation would struggle to match it."

Lin Fan felt both joy and worry.

Joy, because the panel's effect was nothing short of heaven-defying. Worry, because if he kept improving like this, it would be hard not to draw the Blood Demon Sect's attention.

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

Just then, a light and pleasant voice rang out.

Lin Fan snapped back to reality and smiled at the approaching Feng Ling. "I was copying for too long—got dizzy and lightheaded—so I came out for a walk."

"That's only right. Work and rest should go hand in hand."

Feng Ling nodded, then continued, "You weren't there just now. A Formal Disciple came by to notify us that there'll be a Monthly Test for the Menial Disciples in three days."

Noticing Lin Fan's confusion, Feng Ling explained, "Those who become Menial Disciples have all passed the sect's assessment, but the assessment might still miss things. So every month, the sect sends someone to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for a retest."

"If any Menial Disciple shows decent talent or reaches the Meridian Condensing Realm, they might be promoted to Formal Disciple."

Lin Fan suddenly understood. Put bluntly, the sect didn't trust them, so they arranged Monthly Tests to check the Menial Disciples' progress.

Then Lin Fan's heart sank.

"I've only been in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion a few days, and I haven't done any Dual Cultivation. If someone notices something off, what do I do?"

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

Ordinary Menial Disciples would be hard-pressed to detect his recent surge in cultivation, but what about those Formal Disciples? Could he really hide it from them?

If he was exposed, Lin Fan would probably be dragged off for dissection and research in no time.

This was a Devil Dao Sect—they wouldn't show any mercy!

"Sister Feng, how does the Monthly Test work?"

Lin Fan asked.

He needed to understand the detailed process. If there were any loopholes, he could avoid revealing his true cultivation.

"I took part in one Monthly Test before. The process is simple. A Formal Disciple watches the whole time, and the Menial Disciples just have to inject their power into a Spirit Testing Stone."

"The stone's reaction determines the Menial Disciple's condition."

Feng Ling said softly.

"I see."

Lin Fan looked thoughtful.

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

But before the Monthly Test, to be cautious, he couldn't recklessly use the panel to boost his cultivation anymore, or he'd increase the risk of exposure.

Surviving here was what mattered most!

Back on the first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, Lin Fan and Feng Ling continued copying books. When the sun slanted westward, they returned to their quarters like everyone else.

Similar to the day before, Lin Fan ran into Wang Biao again, along with the youth who shared Wang Biao's room.

But compared to yesterday, that youth was gaunt and sallow, his eyes vacant—clearly malnourished from being "drained" by Wang Biao!

Seeing this, Lin Fan silently congratulated himself on his wise resistance the night before. Otherwise, he might have ended up the same way.