"It is too difficult."

"If just the first trial is this hard, it is hard to imagine how terrifying the subsequent trials will be. But thinking about it, it makes sense. To successfully overcome a disciple snatching, a disciple must prove they can advance rapidly on the path of cultivation without the support of a top-tier main peak."

"It is only natural that it would be this difficult."

Voices of discussion rose one after another. No one present held an optimistic attitude toward Ning Fan's attempt to clear the trials.

"This disciple understands."

Ning Fan cupped his fists and bowed.

So the disciple snatching trials were difficult to clear? Today, Ning Fan truly wanted to break through them. Not only to escape the Yin Yang Peak, but also to challenge himself!

Within half a day, the news that Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao had rejected the Yin Yang Peak for the Changming Peak, only to be snatched by the Yin Yang Peak Master, spread like wildfire. The details of the exceedingly difficult trial requirements seemed to grow wings, reaching nearly every corner of the Yin Yang Divine Sect.

Three days. He had to break through two entire minor realms in three days and master a Yellow-grade technique.

In anyone's eyes, this was nearly impossible.

Some Yin Yang Divine Sect disciples even spontaneously opened a wager, setting up a betting pool on whether Ning Fan could successfully clear the three trials!

Of course, the details of the wager were not simply about whether he could clear all three trials.

They were quite complex.

Clearing one trial, clearing two trials, clearing all three trials, completing the breakthrough of two minor realms, mastering a Yellow-grade technique-each had its own independent betting pool.

Wagers could be placed on all of them.

The most outrageous pool-Ning Fan clearing all three trials-had odds skyrocketing to one to a thousand. This meant that a bet of a single Spirit Stone on Ning Fan clearing all three trials would yield a full thousand Spirit Stones in return, an incredible thousand-fold payout.

Yet, despite this, every single disciple who came to place a wager bet on his failure.

After all, since the founding of the Yin Yang Divine Sect, the twenty-odd disciple snatchings initiated by Peak Masters had never once failed. Twenty-odd times was not a large number.

But it had to be understood: every single person who could attract a Peak Master's attention and trigger a disciple snatching was a cultivator of exceptional talent.

With a little inquiry, one could learn just how monstrous those individuals were.

Yet none of them had succeeded.

Could Ning Fan succeed!?

Even the lowest odds-Ning Fan mastering a Yellow-grade technique-sat at one to four. Betting a single Spirit Stone on Ning Fan successfully mastering the technique would yield four Spirit Stones if correct.

Naturally, this news reached Ning Fan's ears.

"Tch."

Ning Fan sat upright within his cave dwelling, lightly clicking his tongue as he muttered to himself.

"I thought it would be a simple peak selection. I never expected it to cause such a huge stir, with the entire Sect now buzzing about this matter."

"However, this also gives me an opportunity."

Ning Fan's eyes flickered.

His cultivation resources were not abundant. At most, he had the equivalent of a thousand Spirit Stones.

Tomorrow, he would receive his weekly stipend for taking first place in the A-Class.

That would be a hundred Spirit Stones, plus ten Qi Gathering Pills. Ten Qi Gathering Pills could barely be exchanged for fifty Spirit Stones. Tomorrow, Ning Fan's total net worth would sit at one thousand, one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

Silver coins were not included in the calculation.

Silver coins were virtually useless for purchasing cultivation-related items. They were only used to trade for mundane goods like food and clothing.

"Fortunately, I haven't been dual cultivating these past few days. If I didn't have these cultivation resources equivalent to eleven hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, hoping to clear the first trial would be an idiot's dream."

Ning Fan rubbed his chin, feeling grateful.

He might only have eleven hundred and fifty Spirit Stones in his hands right now, but after tomorrow, the number of Spirit Stones in his possession would be entirely different.

The current problem was the technique...

Could he disguise the Tianxuan Heart Sutra to make it appear as if he had already mastered a Yellow-grade technique? That way, he could pass the trial smoothly.

He needed to ask Ye Honglian.

"Wife, come here."

Ning Fan lay on the bed, beckoning to Yun Qingyao. The latter obediently approached his side and reached out to untie the sash at her waist.

The thin gauze dress instantly slipped off, revealing her fair skin before Ning Fan.

Before Yun Qingyao could continue disrobing, Ning Fan suddenly raised his hand, halting her movements.

"Wait. We won't dual cultivate right now."

"Oh."

Yun Qingyao let out an 'oh' and lay down beside Ning Fan. The two were so close that Ning Fan could clearly see her eyelashes.

A long moment passed. The Yun Qingyao before him remained Yun Qingyao.

Ning Fan slapped his forehead, silently cursing in his heart.

Damn it.

He wanted to ask Ye Honglian about the technique, but if they did not dual cultivate, Ye Honglian simply would not appear. He still had to dual cultivate after all.

However, Ning Fan had other uses for his Spirit Stones. He could not afford to spend cultivation resources on dual cultivation right now, and without resources, the cultivation progress from dual cultivation was not actually that significant.

But there was no other way.

He had to do it.

"Come on."

Ning Fan reached out and pulled Yun Qingyao into his embrace. At first, the two shared a tender warmth, which quickly dissolved into passionate entanglement. After a long while, a brilliant white light flared.

Ye Honglian appeared just as expected.

"Fairy Sister," Ning Fan called out.

"Mmm?"

Ye Honglian initially felt relaxed by her surroundings. After all, the last time had been in the water, and the time before that had been in a cave. Waking up on a bed this time was not nearly as strange.

But in the next moment, Ye Honglian realized there was no Spiritual Qi around them. There was not even much spiritual energy flowing between them. It did not feel like cultivation at all.

It felt more like...

More like they were purely engaging in that sort of business.

"You little lecher."

"Why are you not using heavenly materials and earthly treasures to assist your cultivation? Could it be you purely just want to use me for your own pleasure?" Ye Honglian asked angrily.

If it were for cultivation, being forced to do that sort of business with Ning Fan could be tolerated, as Ye Honglian also gained benefits from it.

But simply being used for pleasure? How could Ye Honglian ever accept that!?

"No, no, no."

"Fairy Sister, you misunderstand. I don't want to have my way with you..."

Ning Fan waved his hands repeatedly.

"Hmm? You don't want to touch me!?"

Before Ning Fan could speak, Ye Honglian's voice rang out, laced with even greater fury. She was the Saintess of the Tianxuan Holy Land! Countless men pursued her!

This man had stumbled into taking her innocence, and now he was saying he had no desire for her!?

Ning Fan's face instantly darkened.

Fuck.

Wanting to do it was wrong. Not wanting to do it was also wrong.

Should he just go and die instead!?

"Fairy Sister, listen to me first. It's like this..."

Wearing a bitter expression, Ning Fan explained the whole situation to Ye Honglian.

"Wha... What!?"

"Filthy, despicable, foul!"

"What kind of lewd Sect is this?! Kill them all! Slaughter every last one of them!" Ye Honglian roared in outrage.

Accidentally ending up in a dual cultivation pact with Ning Fan was one thing. But if she were forced to dual cultivate with various other men in the future, perhaps even swapping partners multiple times a day...

Truly.

She would rather be killed on the spot!

"Hiss-"

At the height of Ye Honglian's fury, Ning Fan suddenly sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. His gasp caught Ye Honglian's attention, and she noticed his face had turned deathly pale.

"Fai... Fairy Sister."

"I already told you."

"When dual cultivating, you cannot have such massive emotional fluctuations."

"It hurts... it hurts!"

Hearing Ning Fan's words, Ye Honglian instantly understood what had just happened. Her beautiful face flushed crimson as she spat out a soft, bashful curse.

"You... you little lecher!"