Name: Lin Fan Lifespan: 180 Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit Realm: Spirit Gathering Realm Third Grade Cultivation Art: Basic Demonic Art (Minor Achievement)
"Minor achievement in the cultivation art, Spirit Gathering Realm Third Grade."
"Even the Formal Disciples of the Blood Demon Sect might not be able to reach this speed of improvement, right?"
Lin Fan's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself.
If it had been an ordinary Menial Disciple, raising their cultivation from the second grade to the third would have been basically impossible without several months, or even longer.
"The higher my cultivation, the greater the risk of exposure. From now on, I have to be even more careful."
After the brief exhilaration of breaking through, Lin Fan quickly calmed down.
This was a demonic sect. The faster he improved, the less likely he was to receive nurturing; instead, he would attract attention and perhaps even provoke jealousy.
Menial Disciples had no status at all. Even a single Formal Disciple could beat, berate, or even slaughter them at will.
Not long afterward, Lin Fan returned to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, but Feng Ling, seated opposite him, kept raising her eyes to size him up.
"Sister Feng, is there a flower on my face?"
Lin Fan asked.
"Strange. You only went out once, but I feel like you've changed somehow. You seem more spirited as a whole."
Feng Ling blinked her beautiful eyes, utterly puzzled.
Lin Fan's heart jolted, but on the surface he remained as steady as an old dog and said, "I just went out to wash my face and wake myself up. You must have seen wrong, Sister Feng."
"Is that so?" Feng Ling looked somewhat suspicious, but she did not say anything more.
That night, Lin Fan and Feng Ling shut the doors and windows tight before lighting an Everlasting Lamp.
Since an evil entity had appeared the previous night, one normally would not return the next evening, so the two of them did not need to take turns standing watch tonight.
Feng Ling had her back to Lin Fan, but her graceful, alluring curves left his thoughts running wild, and he found himself unable to fall asleep for a long while.
He was still a young man. With a beautiful woman beside him and waves of her fragrance drifting over, it would have been abnormal to feel nothing.
"Why are you still awake?"
Sensing Lin Fan tossing and turning, Feng Ling suddenly spoke.
Her voice was melodious and pleasant, but a trace of wariness showed in her tone.
"Sister Feng, do we conduct the Monthly Test through the Spirit Testing Stone every time?"
Lin Fan asked casually.
"Not necessarily."
Feng Ling turned around and said softly, "I've heard some old menial servants mention that every one or two months, a Formal Disciple personally checks the Menial Disciples' cultivation, in case the Spirit Testing Stone gives an inaccurate reading."
Lin Fan's heart tightened at once.
He had originally thought that after passing this Monthly Test, he would at least be able to relax a little. Now it seemed that he had merely been lucky this time.
If a Formal Disciple personally inspected them during the next Monthly Test, could Lin Fan still hide his cultivation?
For a time, Lin Fan's thoughts churned.
A moment later, Lin Fan suddenly shifted slightly. Feng Ling immediately became extremely wary and asked, "What are you doing?"
She noticed that Lin Fan was much closer to her than before.
The bed was not large. Even the slightest movement from Lin Fan could be noticed by her immediately.
"Sister Feng, let's practice Dual Cultivation."
Lin Fan suddenly said.
This was the decision he had reached after thinking it over from every angle. If he had someone to practice Dual Cultivation with, then even if the sect discovered his concealed cultivation in the future, he could give an appropriate explanation.
"You want to absorb my yin essence?"
"Don't you want to absorb my yang essence? If we harmonize yin and yang, it can boost both our cultivation."
"No." Feng Ling answered crisply, her tone leaving not the slightest room for negotiation.
"I know. You want to cast off your identity as a Menial Disciple as soon as possible. Every Menial Disciple in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion has that thought."
Blackwood Cliff had no spirit stones or pills, and its spiritual energy was thinner than in the rest of the sect.
Most importantly, the Menial Disciples also had to face the threat of evil entities appearing without warning.
Most Menial Disciples had mediocre aptitudes. Under such harsh conditions, the only way to rapidly raise their cultivation and become Formal Disciples was to rely on Dual Cultivation, absorbing other people's yin and yang essences.
This was a demonic sect. As long as they could climb higher and live better, most people would do exactly that.
"Don't you have the same thought?"
Lin Fan asked curiously.
"I'm different from you."
Feng Ling let out a soft sigh before continuing, "When dawn comes tomorrow, move out."
"Find another woman to share a room with."
Feng Ling's meaning was obvious.
"Understood."
Lin Fan did not press the matter.
Although he and Feng Ling had spent several days together and seemed friendly and harmonious, they did not actually understand each other very well.
Besides, Feng Ling's resistance to Dual Cultivation struck him as rather strange.
If Lin Fan had guessed correctly, Feng Ling was not an ordinary Menial Disciple. She had secrets of her own as well.
Lin Fan did not pursue the matter. Everyone had their own choices to make.
Those who walked different paths could not make plans together.
They would simply part on good terms.
The night passed in silence until the morning sun rose.
Lin Fan and Feng Ling left the quarters one after the other. This time, they no longer headed to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion together as they had over the past few days. Instead, they were like passersby, no longer looking at each other.
Even their seats for copying books in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion were no longer together.
Anyone with eyes could tell what had happened.
The other Menial Disciples, however, were accustomed to it. They had long since stopped finding it strange.
Lin Fan silently copied the books. After several days of familiarity, he had become increasingly adept at the work.
Moreover, after entering the Spirit Gathering Realm Third Grade, the Internal Force in his dantian flowed endlessly, constantly nourishing his flesh and blood.
Not only had his strength increased, but his concentration had also grown sharper. Even after copying for two or three hours straight, he no longer felt as exhausted as before.
However, to conceal the difference between himself and the others, Lin Fan did not copy like a madman. Instead, he worked for a while and rested for a while, carrying the spirit of "combining work and rest" to the absolute extreme.
At that moment, a beautiful young woman suddenly hurried over toward Lin Fan.
"Little brat**, stop right there!"
A man was pursuing her relentlessly from behind.
Lin Fan raised his head and glanced over. He had not intended to meddle, but when the young woman saw him, she acted as if she had spotted her savior. She rushed before him as though fleeing for her life, then sat down directly.
The man froze. After realizing that Lin Fan was seated opposite the young woman, he found himself unable either to advance or retreat.
The young woman was panting. Her features were delicate and her skin seemed smooth enough to burst at a touch. Most striking of all were her long, straight legs, which made it difficult to look away after even a single glance.
Her figure was even more voluptuous than Feng Ling's, though her bearing was somewhat more youthful and unseasoned.
Once he saw her appearance clearly, Lin Fan found her somewhat familiar. She was one of the newcomers who had arrived a few days ago.
At Blackwood Cliff, new arrivals were sent over almost every one or two days. Of course, that also meant Menial Disciples were dying constantly.
"Brother Lin, are you alone right now?"
The young woman gazed at Lin Fan with anxious expectation.
"So what if I am?"
Lin Fan glanced at her.
The young woman's pretty face lit up. She hurriedly took out her token. It displayed: Menial Disciple, Zhou Wanqing.
"Brother Lin, if you don't mind, I'd like to live with you."
As if afraid Lin Fan would refuse, the young woman called Zhou Wanqing hurriedly continued, "I'm still pure. I've never let anyone touch me."
Lin Fan froze and set down the work in his hands.
"Why choose me?"
He stared into the young woman's eyes and asked seriously.
"During yesterday's Monthly Test, apart from the few old menial servants who received praise from the Formal Disciples, you were the only one, Brother Lin."
"You might become a Formal Disciple in the future. My aptitude is very poor, so... I want to follow you."
She clasped her hands tightly as if she had made an enormous decision, then spoke in a trembling voice.
"You have good judgment."
Lin Fan nodded.
He needed a woman now. Otherwise, once his cultivation was exposed during a future Monthly Test, he would have no way to explain "why I improved so quickly."
"You. Get lost."
Lin Fan's gaze swept past Zhou Wanqing and landed on the man in the distance.
"You..."
The man's face turned livid, but in the end he gritted his teeth and hurried away.
Lin Fan was at the Spirit Gathering Realm First Grade, and he had even received praise from a Formal Disciple yesterday. He was already beyond comparison with ordinary Menial Disciples like them.
To put it bluntly, even if everyone made the same mistake, the Formal Disciples did not care how long someone had served. They would only favor those with greater potential.
Zhou Wanqing had originally been the woman he had his eye on. After finally coaxing her into sharing a room with him, he had still failed to have his way with her after several nights in a row.
He had thought Zhou Wanqing was a chaste and unyielding woman. Now it seemed she merely wanted to find a powerful backer.
"What a slut."
The man walked away angrily, cursing and grumbling nonstop.
The woman who had refused to let him touch her was now throwing herself at someone else to pleasure him. Anyone would have been furious in his place.
Watching the man leave, Zhou Wanqing patted her chest and finally let out a breath of relief. It was as if she had escaped the tiger's jaws, with the feeling of having survived a disaster.
"You're afraid of him, but not afraid of me?"
Lin Fan suddenly asked.
"Brother Lin, you're different from him."
Afraid that Lin Fan might become unhappy, Zhou Wanqing said softly, "Following you at least gives me hope. Hope is more important than anything."
"Hope?"
Lin Fan suddenly laughed.
If he had not had the help of the panel, he would have been no different from most of the Menial Disciples here.
Lin Fan knew exactly why Zhou Wanqing was throwing herself at him, but he did not feel much aversion.
Just as she had said, "hope" was more important than anything.
In truth, Lin Fan did not need Dual Cultivation, but he did need a woman to serve as cover.
Besides, this young woman had chosen him over those old Menial Disciples who had already lost much of their humanity. That was always the better option.
At Blackwood Cliff, no matter how beautiful a woman was, without aptitude or a way forward, she would ultimately become someone else's appendage.
Lin Fan was filled with complicated emotions.
"Since you've chosen to follow me, do more and talk less from now on."
Seeing Zhou Wanqing relax a little, Lin Fan reminded her.
"Brother Lin, I understand."
As if she had thought of something, Zhou Wanqing's cheeks turned pink as she spoke softly.
Lin Fan shook his head. It seemed she had misunderstood what he meant. But if she had misunderstood, then so be it...
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