Dragon-Phoenix Guidance

Fang Hong did not know whether it was his imagination, but he kept feeling that Su Yao looked at him differently than before, with something more in her eyes that he could neither describe nor explain.

There were faint traces of shyness, reserve, and deliberate attempts to win his favor.

"Quite a few people in the hall have been talking about you these past two days." Su Yao glanced at several male and female cultivators nearby and opened the conversation.

Fang Hong asked curiously, "What are they saying about me?"

A faint smile curved Su Yao's lips. "They say you slaughtered your way through the secret realm, with no one able to stand against you."

Fang Hong smiled. "Just relying on my father. Hardly a skill."

"Relying on your father?" Su Yao paused, then caught his meaning and could not help laughing, her delicate, lovely face growing a little more radiant.

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her eyes toward Fang Hong. She was just about to falteringly say something when a mass of spiritual light suddenly appeared beneath the hall's vaulted ceiling, and the man and woman from the Yin-Yang Sect appeared once more.

The two were dressed as before, in magnificent robes with broad sleeves and jade belts at their waists, their bearing distinguished.

Everyone who had been talking or cultivating in the hall stopped and looked at them.

The man's expression was indifferent as he said in a deep voice, "As of this moment, no cultivators remain alive within the secret realm. Our Yin-Yang Sect has admitted a total of one hundred and three people in this recruitment. Junior brothers and sisters, congratulations on becoming disciples of our Yin-Yang Sect."

The alluring woman beside him added, "Under the rules of our Yin-Yang Sect, there is one more assessment after you join. Everyone, be sure to listen carefully."

She looked at them with a smile and raised a hand to point at the vaulted ceiling, activating the mechanisms within the hall.

After a series of dull mechanical rumbles, four large doors opened in the circular walls of the hall, revealing long passageways beyond.

The woman smiled. "Beyond these four doors are eighty stone chambers in total. Each chamber contains a secret dual cultivation method called 'Dragon-Phoenix Guidance.'"

"This method was developed three thousand years ago by a Golden Core elder of our Teaching Hall from our sect's foundational inheritance, the 'Supreme Mystic Origin Yin-Yang Dragon-Phoenix Boundless Treasure Scripture,' to make it easier for Qi Refining disciples to begin cultivating."

She paused, her expression suddenly turning solemn. "Starting now, you must choose partners among yourselves, one man and one woman to a pair, becoming dual cultivation Dao companions. Go to the stone chambers to study and practice the method. The first five pairs of Dao companions to successfully cultivate it may enter our Yin-Yang Sect's inner sect."

"The last ten people to master this method will be demoted to Furnace Disciples for one year. Everyone else will become outer disciples."

After finishing, she asked, "Junior brothers and sisters, is there anything you do not understand?"

The atmosphere in the hall immediately grew subtle. Clearly, many had already known about this stage of the Yin-Yang Sect's entrance assessment and had made preparations after leaving the secret realm, secretly reaching understandings with one another.

Most of those who had not known were male rogue cultivators, and they now looked somewhat bewildered and at a loss.

Someone in the crowd bowed to the two and asked respectfully, "Senior sister, may I ask what a Furnace Disciple is?"

The woman answered with a smile, "Furnace Disciples are one category of disciples serving punishment in our sect, all under the Punishment Hall's authority. Other disciples need only pay Yin-Yang Talisman Coins to the Punishment Hall to freely harvest essence from Furnace Disciples to replenish themselves."

Understanding dawned on the man, and he bowed again in thanks. "I see. Thank you for clearing up my confusion, senior sister."

The woman looked at the others again. "Any other questions?"

A male rogue cultivator who had come from the Shangqing Sect stepped out of the crowd and asked in a clear voice, "Senior sister, there are currently one hundred and three people in this hall, sixty-five men and thirty-eight women. The numbers are unequal. What I would like to ask is, if a dispute arises when we choose Dao companions shortly, are we allowed to fight?"

The woman chuckled. "Yes, provided no one dies. If you cannot even win yourself a Dao companion, what qualifies you to become an initiate disciple of our Yin-Yang Sect?"

"However, the ratio of men to women in this group of disciples is indeed rather too unbalanced. Those of you who cannot find Dao companions may come to me afterward to borrow some Yin-Yang Talisman Coins, then apply for Furnace Disciples to assist with your cultivation."

"But let me make this clear beforehand: for every nine Yin-Yang Talisman Coins you borrow from me, you must repay thirteen. The loan term is three months. If you fail to repay on time, I will arrange for you to serve as Furnace Disciples to pay off your debts."

"Any other questions?"

No one said anything more.

The woman continued, "Once you successfully cultivate the method, dragon and phoenix manifestations will appear of their own accord. You may then return to this hall. Now... begin."

Almost the instant her words fell, a man and woman from Black Demon Island walked together toward one of the passageways.

With that pair taking the lead, several more pairs of men and women emerged from the crowd and headed for the nearest passageways.

The starving could not be choosy about food, the panicked about roads, the freezing about clothes, or the poor about wives.

The remaining male and female cultivators all strove to secure Dao companions they favored from among their limited choices.

Yet with so little time, what room was there to pick and choose?

Among the men and women in the crowd, an air of drawn swords and bent bows began to emerge.

Not a single male cultivator dared approach Su Yao, however. They did not even dare glance in her direction.

Several female cultivators, on the other hand, looked at Su Yao with jealousy, even casting seductive glances at Fang Hong right in front of her with a hint of provocation.

They were none other than the female cultivators of the Wonderful Sound Pavilion.

The Wonderful Sound Pavilion was both a sect and the largest brothel in the Donglai Sea Region. Fang Hong had always respectfully kept his distance from the women of that sect.

At that moment, as his gaze swept over a certain female cultivator in the crowd, the candle flame in the Fate Mirror within his sea of consciousness flickered violently and nearly went out.

If I choose this woman, it will be an omen of great calamity...

His heart tightened, and he could not help giving that female cultivator a few more looks.

Seeing this, Su Yao beside him could not help feeling annoyed, and reached out to pinch his waist.

"Taken a fancy to her?"

A faint mist shimmered in her eyes, concealing unease and apprehension, as she feigned a cold sneer. "Why don't you go over to her?"

Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, Fang Hong could not help laughing despite himself. "I only thought there was something off about that woman. Nothing else. You're overthinking it."

As he spoke, he took Su Yao's hand. She struggled lightly a few times before letting him hold it.

Looking into her delicate, lovely face, he said frankly, "You and I are trapped in a demonic sect. In our current situation, there's no need to stand on ceremony over minor details. Shall we join hands and weather this ordeal together?"

Su Yao initially lowered her head without a word. Only after a while did she nod gently, a little more bashfulness appearing on her lovely cheeks.

Fang Hong said no more and led her by the hand toward the nearest passageway.

The passageway was long and deep, with a stone chamber every few dozen feet. Each chamber was empty save for a Jade Slip and a red candle inlaid with exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns, placed in the center of the floor.

The two entered a stone chamber and closed the stone door. Fang Hong took out a sealing talisman and placed a restriction on the door to isolate the inside from the outside. Only then did he walk over, pick up the Jade Slip, and examine it.

Just as the female cultivator from the Yin-Yang Sect had said, the Jade Slip contained a secret dual cultivation method called "Dragon-Phoenix Guidance."

At first glance, the method was profoundly abstruse and obscure, containing some fundamental truth of heaven and earth.

After skimming through it, he handed it to Su Yao. "Take a look."