"The Peak Master privilege... Disciple Snatching?"

Ning Fan murmured to himself, a flash of surprise in his eyes. At the same time, a vague sense of foreboding slowly rose in his heart.

Without needing further explanation, the sheer name of the privilege made its meaning perfectly clear.

"How many years has it been since a Peak Master last exercised the Disciple Snatching privilege?"

A voice rang out.

The next moment, several figures descended from the sky, landing squarely among the crowd. Upon seeing these sudden arrivals, the surrounding disciples hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Peak Masters."

Indeed.

These four sudden arrivals were none other than the Peak Masters of the other four main peaks.

It was truly unexpected.

Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao had actually pushed the Yin Yang Peak Master to invoke his Peak Master privilege, and in doing so, had drawn all four of the other Peak Masters here.

"Boy, you are not bad."

A voice drifted over.

Ning Fan looked toward the source and saw a middle-aged woman praising him. She wore her hair in an elegant cloud-like bun and dressed in a white gauze skirt.

Her every movement exuded a gentle and refined grace.

She was the Peak Master of Changming Peak.

The Changming Peak Master had overheard the debate between Ning Fan and Ghost Fang. Every point Ning Fan had made perfectly aligned with the founding principles of Changming Peak.

"Greetings, Senior Peak Masters."

Ning Fan cupped his hands and bowed deeply to them, his gaze coming to rest specifically upon the Changming Peak Master.

"Senior."

"This junior is willing to join Changming Peak."

Hearing this, the Changming Peak Master slowly shook her head.

"My Changming Peak is more than willing to accept you, but at this moment, which peak you belong to is no longer for me to decide."

"If you can survive the Disciple Snatching, Changming Peak will naturally hold a place for you."

Ning Fan was instantly left speechless.

Seriously?

So much talk about freely choosing a peak, yet in the end, it still wasn't up to him?!

Then what was the point of choosing in the first place?!

"The so-called Peak Master privilege-Disciple Snatching-is a right granted by the Sect to the highest-ranking main peaks. This privilege exists to ensure the continued prosperity of our Yin Yang Divine Sect."

Ghost Fang said slowly.

"Some people make the wrong choices, join the wrong peak, and squander their talent. To the Sect, that is an immense loss."

"Therefore, the top-ranked main peaks may snatch disciples of exceptional aptitude. Believe me, boy, you will thank this old man in the future."

Ghost Fang stared deeply at Ning Fan.

"Impossible. I will not join Yin Yang Peak."

Ning Fan stated decisively.

A main peak lined with small, wretched roadside huts for dual cultivation-Ning Fan absolutely refused to join it.

"Disciple Snatching does not entirely strip away a disciple's free will," the Changming Peak Master explained. "If a disciple can prove that they can still advance rapidly on the path of cultivation without relying on a top-ranked main peak, then they earn the right to freely choose any main peak."

"Heh."

Hearing this, a mocking sneer surfaced on Ghost Fang's face.

"Since the founding of the Yin Yang Divine Sect, Disciple Snatching has occurred more than twenty times. Of those disciples who attempted to brave the three trials-"

"-not a single one succeeded."

"Ning Fan."

"This old master will ask you one last time: Are you still going to stubbornly insist on choosing Changming Peak?"

"If you persist in choosing Changming Peak, this Peak Master will execute the Disciple Snatching privilege. You will have to consecutively clear three trials to prove your aptitude."

"Pass, and you may join Changming Peak; fail, and you shall join Yin Yang Peak."

Since the establishment of the Sect.

Over twenty instances of Disciple Snatching, and not a single person had ever passed the three trials. This alone was enough to prove the absolute harshness of the ordeal.

"This disciple has no other choice."

Ning Fan cupped his fists.

"Good!"

Ghost Fang locked his gaze onto Ning Fan. The others looked at Ning Fan with eager anticipation, ready for a show. The vast majority of the crowd, just like Ning Fan, had never even heard of Disciple Snatching. Everyone wanted to see exactly what this ordeal entailed.

They wanted to see just how many trials this Ning Fan, whose peerless talent allowed him to freely choose among the five peaks, could actually endure!

"Bring the Spirit-Testing Jade Orbs."

Ghost Fang waved his large hand.

The next moment.

A disciple presented two orbs before Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao. Looking at the familiar spheres, Ning Fan knew exactly what they were for.

"The first trial of Disciple Snatching-Aptitude."

"The disciple must prove that their realm advancement will remain unhindered even under the constraints of scarce cultivation resources. Starting from the commencement of this trial, the disciple must break through two minor realms and elevate a cultivation technique by one level within three days. Failure to accomplish this means failing the trial."

Ghost Fang declared.

"Hiss-"

Upon hearing the trial's conditions, the crowd couldn't help but gasp.

These conditions.

They were simply too harsh. Breaking through two minor realms and elevating a cultivation technique by one level within three days was no easy feat even with an endless supply of resources. Moreover, during the Disciple Snatching period, the disciple was considered unaffiliated with any main peak, meaning they had no peak to rely on for support.

In other words.

Ning Fan would have to rely solely on the resources of a first-class, grade-A disciple to break through from the first layer of the Profound Extreme Realm to the third layer. This condition alone was enough to drive ordinary disciples to despair.

Then there was the cultivation technique.

Elevating a cultivation technique was profoundly mystical and difficult to measure. The breakthrough conditions varied drastically between techniques, though comparatively speaking, it was slightly simpler than a realm breakthrough.

Yet even this relatively simpler task was formidably difficult to accomplish within three days, let alone having to achieve both.

"This..."

Ning Fan's eyes widened as well. If the other Peak Masters hadn't remained silent instead of refuting it, Ning Fan would have genuinely believed Ghost Fang was deliberately making things impossible for him.

"Heh."

"If you wish to bypass the Disciple Snatching, you must prove that you can still advance rapidly on the path of cultivation without the support of a top-tier main peak."

"This is your first proof."

"Of course, you can choose to concede right now and directly become a disciple of my Yin Yang Peak."

Ghost Fang said with deep amusement.

"This disciple is willing to try."

Ning Fan gritted his teeth.

No matter what, he had to give it a shot.

Three days.

Breaking through two minor realms seemed like an impossible feat, but given Ning Fan's own breakthrough speed, it wasn't entirely hopeless.

It should be noted that Ning Fan had gone from the eighth layer of the Yellow Extreme Realm to the Profound Extreme Realm in a mere two days. The gap between the eighth layer of the Yellow Extreme Realm and the Profound Extreme Realm was quite significant.

But there was another problem-

The cultivation technique.

Ning Fan dared not let the Sect test him. His Tianxuan Heart Sutra was a profound mystery. If the Sect discovered it during the test, he would have no way to explain it.

"The realm is not an issue, but this disciple has not yet mastered a cultivation technique..."

Ning Fan spoke up.

"It matters not. This Peak Master will grant you three Yellow-grade cultivation techniques. If you can master just one, it will count as a pass."

Ghost Fang beckoned.

Immediately, a disciple brought forward three cultivation technique manuals.

Ning Fan had no choice but to accept the manuals for now.

"Record their realms."

Ghost Fang gestured again.

Someone immediately presented the Spirit-Testing Jade Orbs to Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao. Following the test, their realms were formally recorded.

-First layer of the Profound Extreme Realm.

After testing Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao's realms, the playful amusement on Ghost Fang's face grew even more pronounced.

Both Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao were at the early stage of the first layer of the Profound Extreme Realm. This meant they would have to execute a complete breakthrough across two full minor realms!!

The original rule of breaking through "two" minor realms was actually designed to ensure the disciple achieved at least "one" complete breakthrough.

It was quite simple.

If a cultivator was at the late stage or peak of the first layer of the Profound Extreme Realm, breaking through to the second layer would be a breeze. Under the rules, this cultivator would technically only need to complete a full breakthrough from the second layer to the third layer. Reaching the second layer from the peak of the first only counted as an incidental step.

For a slightly unluckier disciple in the middle stage, it was equivalent to breaking through one and a half minor realms.

But for Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao...

Both were at the absolute early stage of the first layer of the Profound Extreme Realm, having essentially just broken through. This meant the two of them had to complete a grueling traverse across two entire minor realms.

A trial that was already impossibly difficult.

Had now become an even higher mountain to climb...

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