At the same time.

Qianyang Cave.

Qianyang Cave was a renowned grotto-heaven and blessed land within the Yin Yang Divine Sect. The entire cavern was saturated with rich yang energy, allowing dual cultivation to yield twice the results with half the effort. This rare and extraordinary sanctuary served as the massive private estate exclusive to the Zhao family.

All Zhao family disciples could forgo the standard cave dwellings assigned by the sect to cultivate within the depths of Qianyang Cave instead.

At this moment.

In the grand council hall located at the absolute deepest point of Qianyang Cave, rows of high-ranking Zhao family members stood on either side. The Ninth Elder was among them, standing at the lower end with an expression of burning indignation.

Seated at the head of the hall were an old woman and an old man.

The atmosphere between the two factions of Zhao family disciples facing each other was taut with hostility, like drawn bows. It was clear that the Zhao family was far from a monolithic block; internal factions vied bitterly for control.

"Zhao Bo, give us an explanation."

"The disciple you went out of your way to humiliate has now caught the attention of the sect's highest echelons. To break through to the Profound Extreme Realm as a mere newcomer..."

"If a talent of this caliber becomes an enemy of our Zhao family in the future, I fear it will drag our clan even deeper into decline."

The old woman spoke with her eyes half-closed, her fingers slowly turning a string of prayer beads as she openly reprimanded the Ninth Elder.

Zhao Bo was none other than the Ninth Elder's true name.

The Ninth Elder's expression turned exceedingly grim. Who could have anticipated that casually targeting an insignificant new disciple would lead to a collision with a monstrous genius rarely seen in a century?

The crux of the matter was simple.

Though the Ninth Elder had struck, he had failed to kill Ning Fan on the spot. If given another chance, he would have delivered a lethal blow without hesitation to ensure no loose ends remained. But now, Ning Fan had displayed enough latent potential to be placed under the watchful eyes of the sect leadership.

To assassinate him now would invite the wrath of the sect upon the Ninth Elder.

The Ninth Elder remained silent. Confronted by this old woman-who held half the steering wheel of the Zhao family-he had no choice but to rein in his usual arrogance. Instead, he cast a pleading look toward the old man seated at the head of the hall.

Predictably, the old man spoke up to shield him.

"Heh."

"No matter how much of a genius he is, that Ning Fan is currently nothing more than a cultivator at the first layer of the Profound Extreme Realm. Only those who survive to reach maturity are worthy of being called true experts."

"In this world, the number of fallen geniuses who perish early is by no means small."

As the old man's words echoed, the cultivators aligned with his faction immediately raised their voices in support of the Ninth Elder. Even if Ning Fan's natural talent was extraordinary, many within the hall still refused to view him as a genuine threat.

The core pillars of the great clans within the Yin Yang Divine Sect were replete with Heaven Extreme Realm experts. In their eyes, a genius was merely an unproven variable who had yet to come into his own.

"Arrogant fools!!"

"Our Zhao family has sunk to its current state precisely because of your baseless arrogance! Before Fairy Lingxu rose to prominence, you took this exact same stance and offended her. Now that the sect has produced two new disciples whose aptitudes are not a single whit inferior to Fairy Lingxu, you still insist on making enemies of them?!"

"Have you all lost your minds?!"

"We must prepare formal gifts immediately and hasten to apologize to Yun Qingyao-and especially to Ning Fan-to repair this rift before we repeat the disastrous mistakes of the past!"

The cultivators standing beneath the old woman instantly barked back in refutation. Within moments, the tension in the hall escalated to a fever pitch, and the two factions looked ready to draw their weapons.

"Thump! Thump!"

Two heavy, muffled impacts reverberated through the hall as the old woman struck her dragon-headed staff against the floor, instantly crushing the clamor into dead silence.

"Zhao Qian, this matter involves your direct lineage. State your stance,"

the old woman directed.

"I recall that our clan has a younger disciple named Zhao Qishuang, correct?"

the old man, Zhao Qian, inquired at a tangent.

The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly. Bringing up Zhao Qishuang at a juncture like this could only signify one thing.

"Indeed. Qishuang has reached the age to formally enter the sect,"

the old woman replied.

"Then we shall bestow Zhao Qishuang upon Ning Fan. Presenting that brat with a concubine who possesses a dual cultivation constitution should be more than enough to dissolve the enmity between him and our Zhao family,"

Zhao Qian proposed smoothly.

"Absolutely not!!"

"How can we simply hand Qishuang over to Ning Fan? Qishuang is the daughter of Zhao Wuji!"

Several sharp voices of dissent erupted instantly from the cultivators on the old woman's side. The reason was clear: Zhao Qishuang was the daughter of Zhao Wuji, the old woman's own grandson. Zhao Wuji had lost his life during a dangerous sect mission while covering the retreat of countless Zhao family disciples. As the orphaned child of a clan hero, how could she be bartered away as a mere placating gift?

"Everyone,"

Zhao Qian said, slowly raising his hand to suppress the rising protests.

"I know you all cherish Qishuang. But think carefully-is binding herself to Ning Fan truly such a terrible fate?"

"Even if it is only as a concubine."

In an instant, those who had spoken out fell silent.

It was true.

Ning Fan's innate talent was comparable to that of Fairy Lingxu. Even if Qishuang accompanied him as a concubine for now, with the backing of the Zhao family, she would never suffer mistreatment. In the future, the clan could even maneuver to elevate her to the status of an equal wife.

It could hardly be considered wasting her potential.

The disciples under the old woman exchanged glances and remained quiet. This proposal actually sounded like a viable compromise.

"Very well, we will proceed accordingly. Remember, our Zhao family no longer commands the glory of our prime. From this day forth, we must act with utmost caution, as if treading on thin ice."

The old woman spoke with finality, settling the matter.

"Find Qishuang."

"Send down the orders."

"Understood."

With the strategy decided, the assembly dispersed one by one, leaving only Zhao Qian, the Ninth Elder, and a few close confidants behind in the grand hall.

"Grandfather!"

"Grandfather, how could you side with those old fools?!"

Several resentful complaints broke out. These men were deeply unsatisfied with Zhao Qian's concession. They did not care about the fate of Zhao Qishuang; rather, they despised the notion of the Zhao family bowing its head.

How could the illustrious Zhao family lower itself before a mere first-layer Profound Extreme Realm brat?

It was an utter disgrace!

"Do not act rashly,"

Zhao Qian said, raising his hand to signal them to lower their voices. A slow, cruel smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and a sinister glint flickered deep within his eyes.

"I have already laid my pieces. I will ensure that Zhao Wuqing herself is forced to speak up, demanding that her own faction hunt down and eliminate Ning Fan."

Learning of Zhao Qian's hidden intent, the remaining confidants froze in surprise.

Zhao Wuqing was the true name of the old woman.

Given her current stance of absolute caution, it seemed impossible that she would willingly choose to become Ning Fan's mortal enemy.

Yet Zhao Qian offered no further explanation, the dark gleam of a conspiracy swirling in his eyes.

Meanwhile, within the disciples' residential area.

Inside their designated cave dwelling, Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao were busy organizing their harvest after seeing off the Steward Elder and the Talent Scout. Their journey into the fated chance location had yielded a highly lucrative bounty.

When added together, they had amassed cultivation resources roughly equivalent in value to one thousand Spirit Stones, which would suffice to support two sessions of dual cultivation.

While this resolved their immediate crisis, it did not fundamentally alter their long-term scarcity of resources. If they truly wished to achieve financial autonomy regarding Spirit Stones, they would have to wait until they had formally selected a main peak.

Once integrated into a main peak, the resources allocated to a disciple would scale drastically. The exact amount depended entirely on which peak they entered.

With the peerless aptitudes possessed by Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao, gaining entry into the premier Yin Yang Peak would be an effortless affair.

According to the privileges of the Yin Yang Peak, not only would their weekly stipend double, but half of the Spirit Stones consumed during their dual cultivation would also be directly subsidized by the peak. Once that happened, the massive financial strain of their cultivation path would be vastly alleviated.

They only wondered how long they would have to wait before the peak selection process officially commenced.

Just as these thoughts crossed their minds, a resonance like the striking of a massive bronze bell boomed from outside the cave dwelling.

"The Talent Scout of the Yin Yang Peak has arrived!"

"Delivering a formal invitation to ascend the peak!"