Let the Misunderstanding Stand

[Name: Lin Fan]

[Lifespan: 180]

[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]

[Realm: Spirit Gathering Realm, Third Rank]

[Technique: Basic Demonic Art (Minor Completion)]

"Minor Completion on the technique, Spirit Gathering Realm, Third Rank."

"At this rate of improvement, even a Formal Disciple of the Blood Demon Sect might not be able to keep up, right?"

Lin Fan's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself.

If this were an ordinary Menial Disciple, going from Second Rank to Third Rank would be impossible without several months or even longer.

"The higher my cultivation, the greater the risk of exposure. I have to be even more careful from now on."

After a brief moment of surprise at his breakthrough, Lin Fan quickly calmed down.

This was a demon sect. The faster he improved, the less he would be nurtured and the more he would draw attention—even invite jealousy.

Menial Disciples had no standing. Even a single Formal Disciple could beat, scold, or even kill them at will.

Not long after, Lin Fan returned to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. Feng Ling, sitting across from him, kept lifting her eyes to study him.

"Sister Feng, is there a flower on my face?"

Lin Fan asked.

"Strange. You just stepped out for a bit, but I feel like something's changed about you. You seem more spirited."

Feng Ling blinked her beautiful eyes, puzzled.

Lin Fan's heart jolted, but his surface remained steady as an old dog. "I just went out to wash my face and wake up. You must be seeing things, Sister Feng."

"Is that so?" Feng Ling was a little suspicious but said nothing more.

That night, Lin Fan and Feng Ling sealed the doors and windows tightly, then lit an Everlasting Lamp.

Since an evil spirit had appeared the previous night, under normal circumstances it wouldn't return the next night, so they didn't need to take turns keeping watch.

Feng Ling had her back to Lin Fan, but her graceful, alluring curves stirred restless thoughts in him, keeping him from falling asleep for a long time.

He was still a youth. With a beauty beside him and her faint fragrance drifting over, it would be unnatural to feel nothing.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Sensing Lin Fan tossing and turning, Feng Ling suddenly spoke.

Her voice was sweet and pleasant, but her tone now carried a hint of wariness.

"Sister Feng, is the Monthly Test always done with the Spirit Testing Stone?"

Lin Fan asked casually.

"Not always."

Feng Ling turned over and said softly, "I've heard some old Menial Disciples mention that every month or two, a Formal Disciple will personally check the disciples' cultivation to prevent inaccuracies from the Spirit Testing Stone."

Lin Fan's heart tightened.

He had thought that passing this Monthly Test would let him breathe a little easier, but it seemed he had only been lucky this time.

If a Formal Disciple personally inspected him during the next Monthly Test, could he still hide his cultivation?

For a moment, thoughts churned in Lin Fan's mind.

A short while later, Lin Fan shifted slightly. Feng Ling immediately became alert and asked, "What are you doing?"

She sensed that he was much closer to her than before.

The bed was small. Even the slightest movement from Lin Fan would catch her attention instantly.

"Sister Feng, let's do Dual Cultivation."

Lin Fan said suddenly.

This was a decision he had weighed carefully. If he had a Dual Cultivation partner, even if the sect later discovered his hidden cultivation, he could offer a plausible explanation.

"You want to drain my yin essence?"

"Don't you want to drain my yang essence? Yin and yang harmonized can boost each other's power."

"No." Feng Ling's answer was crisp, with no room for negotiation in her tone.

"I know you want to shed your identity as a Menial Disciple as soon as possible. Every Menial Disciple in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion thinks the same."

Blackwood Cliff had no spirit stones, no Pills, and its spiritual energy was thinner than in other parts of the sect.

Most importantly, Menial Disciples also faced the sudden threat of evil spirits.

Most Menial Disciples had mediocre talent. In such harsh conditions, the only way to quickly raise their cultivation and become Formal Disciples was through Dual Cultivation, draining each other's yin and yang essences.

This was a demon sect. As long as it let them climb higher and live better, most people would do it.

"Don't tell me you've never thought about it?"

Lin Fan asked curiously.

"I'm different from you."

Feng Ling let out a soft sigh before continuing, "Once dawn breaks tomorrow, you should move out."

"Find another woman to share quarters with."

Feng Ling's meaning was crystal clear.

"I understand."

Lin Fan didn't press the matter further.

Though he had spent a few days with Feng Ling, and they seemed friendly and harmonious on the surface, there wasn't much understanding between them.

Besides, Feng Ling's resistance to Dual Cultivation struck him as rather odd.

If Lin Fan wasn't mistaken, Feng Ling wasn't an ordinary Menial Disciple; she had secrets of her own.

Lin Fan didn't pry. Everyone had their own choices.

Different paths, no common ground.

A clean break was for the best.

Silence stretched through the night until the next morning's sun rose.

Lin Fan and Feng Ling walked out of the dwelling one after the other. Unlike previous days, they no longer headed to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion together. Instead, they passed each other like strangers, refusing to meet each other's gaze.

Even their copying spots in the pavilion were no longer side by side.

Anyone with eyes could tell what was going on.

But the other Menial Disciples were used to it—they'd long since stopped being surprised.

Lin Fan silently copied books. After a few days of familiarity, he was growing more adept at the work.

And now that his cultivation had reached the third grade of Qi Gathering, the Internal Force in his dantian surged endlessly, constantly nourishing his flesh and blood.

Not only had his strength increased, but his focus had sharpened as well. Even after copying for two or three hours straight, he no longer felt as exhausted as before.

Still, to hide his difference from others, Lin Fan didn't copy frantically. He worked for a while, then rested for a while, fully embodying the spirit of "balancing work and rest."

Just then, a strikingly pretty girl hurried over toward Lin Fan.

"Hey, you—stop right there!"

Behind the girl, a man was chasing her relentlessly.

Lin Fan glanced up. He didn't want to meddle, but the girl spotted him like a lifeline. She dashed over as if fleeing for her life, plopped down right in front of him, and sat.

The man froze. Seeing that the girl's counterpart was Lin Fan, he hesitated, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

The girl panted for breath. Her features were delicate, her skin so smooth it seemed it might break at a touch. Her legs were long and straight, drawing the eye irresistibly.

Her figure was even more striking than Feng Ling's, though her demeanor was still a bit naive and immature.

Recognizing the girl's face, Lin Fan had some recollection. She was one of the newcomers who had arrived a few days ago.

On Blackwood Cliff, new people were sent over almost every day or two—which also meant that Menial Disciples were constantly dying.

"Brother Lin, are you living alone now?"

The girl looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes, asking nervously.

"What if I am?"

Lin Fan glanced at her.

The girl's pretty face lit up with joy. She quickly pulled out her token, which read: Menial Disciple, Zhou Wanqing.

"Brother Lin, if you don't mind, I'd like to share quarters with you."

This girl named Zhou Wanqing seemed afraid Lin Fan would refuse, so she hurriedly added, "I'm still pure—no one has ever touched me."

Lin Fan paused, setting down his work.

"Why me?"

He stared into her eyes, asking seriously.

"At yesterday's Monthly Test, aside from a few old Menial Disciples who got praised by the Formal Disciples, you were the only one, Brother Lin."

"You might become a Formal Disciple someday. My talent is terrible, so... I want to follow you."

She clasped her hands tightly, as if summoning immense courage, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Your judgment is good."

Lin Fan nodded.

He needed a woman now. Otherwise, when the next Monthly Test exposed his progress, he'd have no way to explain "why he was improving so fast."

"You. Get lost."

Lin Fan's gaze swept past Zhou Wanqing and landed on the man not far away.

"You..."

The man's face turned ashen, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and quickly walked away.

Lin Fan was at the First Grade of Spirit Gathering Realm, and yesterday he had even received praise from a Formal Disciple. He was no longer comparable to ordinary Menial Disciples like them.

To put it bluntly, even if everyone made the same mistake, a Formal Disciple wouldn't care how long you'd been here—they would only favor those with more potential.

Originally, Zhou Wanqing was the woman he had his eye on. He had managed to trick her into sharing the same dwelling, but for several nights in a row, he hadn't been able to take her body.

He had thought Zhou Wanqing was a chaste and virtuous woman, but now it seemed she was just looking for a powerful backer.

"What a bitch."

The man walked off in indignation, cursing nonstop.

A woman who wouldn't let him touch her was now throwing herself at someone else for pleasure—anyone would be furious.

Watching the man walk away, Zhou Wanqing patted her chest and finally let out a sigh of relief, as if she had escaped a tiger's den, feeling like she had survived a disaster.

"You're afraid of him, but not of me?"

Lin Fan suddenly asked.

"Brother Lin, you're different from him."

Afraid that Lin Fan might be displeased, Zhou Wanqing said softly, "Following you, at least there's hope. Hope is more important than anything."

"Hope?"

Lin Fan suddenly smiled.

If he didn't have the help of his panel, he would be no different from most of the Menial Disciples here.

Lin Fan knew what Zhou Wanqing was thinking by throwing herself at him, but he didn't feel much disgust.

As she said, "hope" was more important than anything.

In truth, Lin Fan didn't need Dual Cultivation, but he needed a woman to provide cover.

And this girl, choosing him over those old Menial Disciples who had already lost much of their humanity, was still a much better option.

On Blackwood Cliff, no matter how beautiful a woman was, without talent or a way out, she would ultimately be nothing more than someone else's accessory.

Lin Fan felt a surge of emotion.

"Since you've chosen to follow me, from now on, do more and talk less."

Seeing Zhou Wanqing relax a little, Lin Fan reminded her.

"Brother Lin, I understand."

Zhou Wanqing seemed to think of something, her cheeks flushing pink as she spoke softly.

Lin Fan shook his head. It seemed she had misunderstood his meaning. Let her misunderstand, then...