161-170

Chapter 161 - Sleeping Beauty

Xiao Fang opened the doors to his house but he let Yan Mei walk in first. Once Xiao Fang closed the door behind her, he suddenly felt Yan Mei's arms wrap gently around him.

Since she had met Xiao Fang, she had been so eager to do the deed with him, but the closer she got to his house, the more nervous she got.

Xiao Fang could tell from the way she was cutely biting her lip that she was nervous, so he slowly lifted her chin then gave her a kiss. There was nothing special about the kiss, but it still made her feel better.

As they kissed, Xiao Fang picked her up, then she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was as light as a feather, but that's what he expected from a spirit cultivator. Carrying her like this, she was now a bit taller than him, so he had to look up as they kissed.

When they reached the bed, Xiao Fang lifted the blanket then place her under it. Like Yan Mei, most girls were nervous during their first time, so he knew they felt more comfortable proceeding in the dark.

Xiao Fang crawled under the blanket after her, then they began to strip before they curiously started feeling each other's naked bodies.

She had a tender waist and subtle abs, and squishy little mounds. She might've seemed fragile in public, but she was more fit than anyone could expect.

As much as he enjoyed touching her, it wasn't anything new. Yan Mei on the other hand couldn't get enough of it. Since Xiao Fang's feet were warm, she also rubbed her cold feet against his.

'So this is what a man feels like. He's so warm and strong, he's definitely a body cultivator,' she thought.

She was a bit embarrassed when they started because she was a bit too fit compared to the other girls in the sect. She knew most guy found strong girls somewhat sexually unappealing or even a little intimidating, but feeling how strong Xiao Fang was, it made her feel weak in comparison. She felt less embarrassed so she finally pushed her body against his.

"You're so warm," she said with a little smile.

She felt everything she wanted to feel so she just hugged him and rested her head against his chest. Xiao Fang wasn't the 'cuddle' type, but since it was her first time, he wanted to let her decide the pace.

He lightly combed her hair then gently massage her back. She felt so relaxed in his embrace that felt like she could even fall asleep. To Xiao Fang's surprise, she eventually did.

'This girl...'

Xiao Fang sighed.

'It seems she drank a bit too much tonight.'

He continued to massage her for a few more minutes. Although Yan Mei was a bit shorter than Li Lian, she still reminded him of her when she slept. Thinking about Li Lian, he began to wonder how she was doing in the core court.

'It hasn't even been a month, but I miss her already,' he thought.

Out of curiousity, he removed the blanket off Yan Mei's body then took his blindfold off to get a better look at her. Seeing her face with his eyes hit him by surprise. She was a lot more beautiful in colour than he expected. Now that the blanket was off her, she could feel a slight chill as she slept, making her snuggle up more against Xiao Fang.

'That's cute,' Xiao Fang smiled before putting the warm blanket back on her.

Suddenly, his sleeping dragon began to wake up. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but her body was extremely sexy as well. Till now he had been massaging her to keep her relaxed, but now he couldn't stop himself from having lustful thoughts.

Everything from her hair to her toes turned him on. He didn't appreciate it before but even her shy lips looked really nice.

'It seem the rumours are true. The inner court disciples are on a whole different level.'

...

Meanwhile, Yao Wu was confused by what she was seeing.

'Didn't he bring her here to have sex with her? Why is he letting her sleep?' She thought.

She couldn't understand why things turned out the way they did. But then it dawned on her,

'What kind of pervert must I be to want to watch 2 disciples have sex. I need to get out of here.'

Suddenly, she saw Xiao Fang completely removed the blanket off his body then walk towards his garden room. He didn't bother putting his clothes back on since he assumed no one else was in the house.

Yao Wu paused her retreat when she saw his naked body. She wasn't a horny person, but his incredible physique was making her feel a certain type of way. However, the thing that caught her eye wasn't his physique, but his long dragon.

'It seems the rumors are true. He truly is deserving of the nickname Da Long,' she thought.

Xiao Fang knew that Yao Yin would arrive soon, so till then he had nothing better to do than to practice some of his techniques.

He didn't want to practice his Divine Sword technique or his Heavenly Movement technique because he didn't want to disturb Yan Mei's sleep. Instead, he decided to continue practicing his [ Solid Clone ] technique.

Yao Wu was still in hiding. Since she couldn't escape through the garden room anymore, she decided to just leave through the front door. However, as soon as the thought crossed her mind, a knock on his front door was heard.

Xiao Fang knew who it was so he got up to answer it, giving Yao Wu the opportunity she needed to escape through the garden room's open ceiling.

Yao Wu easily escaped undetected. She had enough fun for tonight so it was time that she went back to the core court to prepare for the Matriarch's arrival.

.

.

.

Xiao Fang had put his bathrobe on then answered the door. It was Yao Yin and she was looking incredibly beautiful. She had never done her own makeup before so she was a bit embarrassed even though she looked amazing.

Xiao Fang was stunned for a moment then he asked her.

"Did you bring it?"

***

Chapter release every Wednesdays and Sundays

2500 stones = 1 extra Chapters

2700 stones = 2 extra Chapters

3000 Stones = 4 extra Chapters

Chapter 162 - Spirit Perception

"Did you bring it?"

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.

.

Yao Yin nodded, so Xiao Fang opened the door a bit wider to let her in.

"Sorry I'm late," she said before giving him a gift.

"What is this?" Xiao Fang asked while inspecting the twirling little stick in his hand.

"It's called spirit candy. It's pretty popular here in the inner court."

Xiao Fang sniffed it, but it didn't give off a scent. It seemed harmless so he eventually gave it a try, but soon after he put it in his mouth he started to cringe. It was sour, but also very sweet.

As the candy slowly dissolved in his mouth he could feel the spirit qi begin to enter his dantian. As great as it was, Xiao Fang's cultivation was already in the Profound realm, so he would need many dozens of these to even make a single breakthrough.

"Not bad. It's really sweet and strangely addicting. How much was it?" He asked.

Even though she gave it to him as a gift, he didn't like owing favors.

"300 merit points."

Xiao Fang nearly choked.

"This little thing..."

Every second it was in his mouth was 10 merit points was going to waste.

"Ah, but it can't be bought or sold to the sect. It could only be exchanged between disciples."

"Did you really spend 300 merit points on this?"

"Don't worry, I got it for free from my guild."

Xiao Fang only recently learned about the guild system in the inner court. They didn't have this sort of thing in the Divine Sword sect so he found it interesting.

"Where did your guild get it from?" He asked.

Yao Yin paused as she tried to think of a way to explain it simply.

"It's made by disciples in the foods and crafts club. Since becoming an apprentice there is extremely difficult, many guilds offer them high allowances to join and make cultivation treats exclusively for their guild members."

"I see. This guild stuff sounds pretty interesting."

...

As they talked, Yao Yin followed Xiao Fang to the garden room. On the way there they walked past the bed Yan Mei was sleeping on.

Yao Yin wasn't too surprised by this since she knew he was a dual cultivator.

"Can I see it?" Xiao Fang asked with his hand extended.

She knew what he was talking about so she gave him the dual cultivation scroll.

Looking down at the scroll he quickly read through the technique.

.

.

.

Technique name: Spirit Perception

Type: Observation Skill

Realm: N/A

> The ability to see the flow of qi in any form it's in.

> Practice Method: ...

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.

.

Yao Yin waited patiently for Xiao Fang to finish reading through the scroll. Eventually his brows became slightly knitted.

Before she could ask if there was anything wrong, he suddenly spoke.

"Take off your clothes."

"What? Was there something wrong with the scroll?" She asked.

"You want to become a dual cultivator, right?"

Catching the meaning behind his words she quickly did as he said.

Her robes dropped and she stood on the grass barefooted and completely nude. Xiao Fang paused when he saw her body.

Seeing that he wasn't moving, she assumed he was unsatisfied so she stopped covering her tits and pussy, letting everything go for him to see.

She was embarrassed at first, but she quickly got over it. She was 173cm tall. Long black hair, perky B-cup tits, and a cute plump white ass. She was already a beauty that could woo any man she wanted, but standing under the moonlight only accentuated her goddess-like figure.

He then began to walk circles around her as he inspected her body from head to toe. As he did that, he went over his conditions for making her a dual cultivator.

The more conditions he stated the deeper her frown became.

"Aren't you being too unreasonable?" She complained.

"Whether you accept my terms is up to you. The conditions I stated are not only for my safety, but also for you."

Xiao Fang knew what conditions to make because dual cultivators in his mother's old dual cultivation sect already had guidelines for this sort of thing. Since Yu An knew something like this would eventually happen, she made sure to make Xiao Fang memorize the terms and conditions before teaching him the dual cultivation method.

Although Yao Yin was reluctant to agree to his terms she eventually accepted it.

Xiao Fang finally handed her his dual cultivation method book.

She looked at it then immediately frowned.

"Isn't this an incomplete method?"

"The method itself is completed, you just won't be able to find any method-specific techniques in there," he explained.

Since Xiao Fang's grandfather, Xiao Kong, had wiped out the Dual Cultivation sect, he had also destroyed every dual cultivation method book in the country. Since there weren't any complete dual cultivation method books left, Yu An created an incomplete method from memory for him to learn.

Suddenly Xiao Fang's bathrobes began to slide off his body as he approached Yao Yin. She knew what he had in mind. She expected as much when she stepped into his house, and frankly she didn't think she could wait any longer.

Staring into his eyes for so long had already made her extremely submissive, but now that he was naked in front of her her lustful desires ignited and her imagination went wild.

Feeling his masculine hands on her body sent pleasurable tingles wherever he touched.

'I'm letting a stranger touch my body, but it feels so good.'

She bit her lip cutely when she felt his hands caressing her breasts, and his fingers on her nipples.

"Long Wang, if you touch me there," she said with flushed cheeks.

Her breathing became irregular and she was struggling to stand upright. The way he touched her was making her feel even more horny than she already was.

"Ahha~"

She finally broke her posture the moment Xiao Fang's fingers reached deep into her pussy.

"You're already this wet. Does it feel good?"

"Ahhaa~~ yes, yes, ahh~ I can feel you thrusting your fingers inside of me. That feels good, don't stop~"

She moaned as she grabbed her left breast and slid her right hand down his right forearm. He held her close, making her feel his body heat and large indecency thrusting between her soft plump asscheeks. Xiao Fang had taken complete control. She didn't even think she needed to stand on her own anymore.

His fingers thrusted into her wet pussy faster and squeezed her tits a bit tighter. She moaned louder and her knees pressed together from the intense pleasure she was feeling. She had such a sexy moan, and her skin felt so smooth. Finally, he whispered into her ear.

"From now on, you belong to me."

Hearing those words made her feel a jolt of pleasure. She wanted him to do to her as he pleased. She wanted to feel him devouring her body and making her scream in pleasure. She wanted to be his. This was the feeling she had suppressed deep inside, but after hearing his words she couldn't fight those feelings anymore.

Xiao Fang's eyes glowed mysteriously as her body suddenly became softer and more sensitive. The stronger his eyes glowed the stronger her feelings became.

Xiao Fang pushed her closer and closer to a climax. What she was feeling now was far better than anything she had ever felt before.

"Ahh~ ahh~ ahh~ I'm going to cum, I'm going to cum, Long Wang~ ahhhh~"

Her lower body jerked as she squirted all over his hand. She was embarrassed to be squirting so much, but she couldn't control it.

"Nnnng~ nnng~ nng~"

Feeling the way her moist meat sleeve tightened around his finger, he felt like he could accurately gauge her body cultivation realm.

'8th tier Solid Body realm. Not bad,' he thought.

After she climaxed she started breathing deeply. She felt so weak, if Xiao Fang wasn't hugging her from behind she felt like she would fall.

That was the greatest climax she had ever felt, but it was only from his hands. If she already felt this good from his hands, then how good would she feel from his little brother? Luckily, she didn't have to wait very long to find out.

Her pussy was nice and wet, so Xiao Fang thrusted his long erect dick between her thighs and along her naked slit. Her pussy was still sensitive from her climax so the simple motion was already making her feel really good.

"L-Long Wang, b-be gentle with me," she requested shyly.

Despite her words, he could see what she really wanted from her eyes.

"Leave it to me."

***

Chapter release every Wednesdays and Sundays

2500 stones = 1 extra Chapters (hit)

2700 stones = 2 extra Chapters (hit)

3000 Stones = 4 extra Chapters

Chapter 163 - Incomplete Dual Cultivation Method (18+)

In the middle of the night, light moans could be heard coming from Xiao Fang's garden room. Laying face up on the grass, Xiao Fang was reading the [ Spirit Perception ] technique scroll, while Yao Yin was riding him slowly with a euphoric expression on her face.

Her small elegant hands pressed down on his abs, sweat trickled down her smooth beautiful skin, and her butt bounced joyously on his lap as if she was having the time of her life.

"Mymmm~~" she moaned as her waters began to pour.

At the same time, Xiao Fang released another load of Yang qi into her squirting pleasure hole.

She hadn't reached the 1st stage of the [ Dual Cultivation ] Spirit Foundation realm yet, so her sexual prowess was still lacking. Xiao Fang was giving her this opportunity to practice on him while he was studying the [ Spirit Perception ] technique.

He took one hand off the scroll then caressed her shaking thigh.

"You're doing well, Yao Yin. Keep going," he spoke almost nonchalantly as he was still laser focused on comprehending the text from the scroll.

Yao Yin pouted cutely because Xiao Fang seemed to be more interested on the dual cultivation technique than her. He had such a beautiful naked girl on top of him, but all he could think about was the technique. If that wasn't a slap to her face then what was.

Suddenly, Yao Yin began to move her hips again, but this time she tried to squeeze his naked sword a bit tighter.

Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow as he finally looked at her.

Seeing that she got his attention, she took one of his hands and made him squeeze her breasts before thrusting a bit faster.

"Mymm~ mymm~ mymhmm~"

She didn't think she could go much faster than this because his dick was making her pussy feel too sensitive. She finally collapsed on his chest, but her lower half didn't stop thrusting.

Earlier, Xiao Fang was too absorbed on the scroll, but once he realized what she was doing he put the scroll down then put his full attention back on her.

Xiao Fang planted a hand on her smooth bouncing ass then slowly thrusted upwards to match her rhythm.

"Mymm~ that feels good. Don't stop," she said.

In the next moment, Xiao Fang felt Yao Yin's shy soft lips pressing against his. Only a moment later, he felt the warm and wet embrace of her curious tongue. She didn't need to be a good kisser, simply feeling the shy little tongue of such a beautiful girl was enough to turn him on.

She planted her soft hands on his face as their tongues rubbed erotically in their mouths. Every second that passed only made her more addicted to his kiss.

Xiao Fang knew what she wanted so he clenched her ass as he began to pick up the pace. He thrusted faster and faster till she couldn't kiss him anymore. Her head cocked back, but her naked plump breasts still pressed tightly against his chest.

"Ahha!~ right there, right there! yes! Yes! Yes! ahhaaa~~!!"

Her body began to trembled as her pretty little toes curled. In the next moment, her waters began to pour. She was climaxing.

Xiao Fang started thrusting slowly, but he was reached even deeper than before. Her legs shook as he pushed his dick as far in as it could go. Eventually, he could feel the entrance to her womb.

"Nnnnhmm~~"

She gritted her teeth in pleasure when she felt the tip of his cock rubbing against her womb. Finally, he pushed against the small opening then released his cum.

She hugged him tightly as his cum filled her womb. He caressed her round white ass as he was cumming inside of her, then gave them a good little spank of approval when he could feel that her womb was swallowing whatever his dick pumped into it.

Her hands made little fist as her trembling body laid flat on top of him. Although her climax was intense, it was nothing compared to how hard he was making her climax before. In the end, she was just happy that she was able to grab his attention.

Suddenly, she kissed him again. She didn't know why she was doing it, but it just felt right. Perhaps it was the effects of the dual cultivation method, but she felt closer to him. If she didn't know any better she would think that she was falling in love with him. Then again, maybe she was.

Finally, Xiao Fang spoke.

"Yao Yin, you still haven't made a breakthrough to the 1st stage of the [ Dual Cultivation ] Spirit Foundation realm yet. You can't be considered a dual cultivator until you do. So for now, just focus on your cultivation."

She knew what he was saying was true, but he was the first person she had ever slept with. This wasn't just an ordinary cultivation session to her, it felt more special than that.

A few hours ago when they first started their cultivation session, he had completely rocked her world to give her a taste of what a dual cultivator was capable of. He made her cum more times than she could count, and she was loving every second of it.

However, simply making her cum wasn't going to help her make a breakthrough. So for the past few hours she had been riding him on her own while trying to contemplate the dual cultivation method. The feeling was still great, but it was nothing compared to how he made her feel when he was fucking her senselessly.

"Long Wang, can you... can you make me cum like before? Remind me again what a dual cultivator can really do." She asked.

Xiao Fang frowned a bit, "You still haven't reached the 1st stage yet. It wouldn't help if I did all the work."

"I know, but I've been at it for hours now. Can't you make me cum like before just one more time? I promise I won't ask you again until I reach the 1st stage."

Xiao Fang wasn't too annoyed by this. She was an incredibly beautiful girl with a ridiculously sexy body. He was actually holding himself back all this time from fucking her senselessly because he knew she needed to practice.

"Alright, one last time, but after this I won't do anything else for you until you reach the 1st stage."

Yao Yin's face lit up as she nodded.

Chapter 164 - Optional Smut : Yao Yin (18+)

Xiao Fang made her lay face down on the grass before sitting on the back of her thighs, and he rubbed his hands together to heat them up.

There were small goosebumps on her skin since the air was slightly chilly, but he soon warmed her up when he started the massage.

The dual cultivation method was considered a spirit cultivation technique, but the truth was it was heavily reliant on a cultivator's body cultivation.

Yao Yin had only been dual cultivating with him for a few hours now, so she was already physically exhausted. That's why when she felt Xiao Fang start his massage, she nearly moaned. Her tense muscles loosen up, she took deeper breaths, and she immediately felt more relaxed.

The massage on it's own was great, but what she really wanted to feel was his aggressive dual cultivation techniques. The first time he dominated her was hard to forget, it had only been a few hours since he first did, but she was already craving to feel it again. She had never been this horny before so she suspected that it had something to do with the Dual Cultivation method, but it didn't matter since he was going to give her what she wanted.

Xiao Fang spread her legs apart as he brought his hand down to her vaginal lips. Feeling the way he caressed her naked slit instantly made her lower body jerk.

The more he skillfully rubbed her, the stronger her yearning became. She eventually reached a point where her lower body was moving on it's own. Xiao Fang could tell that she was eager to begin, so he delayed no further.

He brought his dick down to feel her pink slippery entrance, then rubbed his tip along her slit. Feeling his penis rubbing her vagina made her clench the grass in her hands. She couldn't explain it, but it felt completely different from when she was riding him earlier.

Xiao Fang's dick was already nice and moist, but he still rubbed it between her tight pussy lips out of habit.

Unable to wait anymore, Yao Yin finally begged.

"Wang~ q-quickly put it in."

Yao Yin was at her limit so he finally made his move. Xiao Fang dug his thick long penis into her narrow cave, making her beautiful legs rise up behind him.

"Mymmm~~"

'I was right, it feels completely different, but what changed?' she thought.

She didn't know what changed, but all that mattered was that it felt incredible.

[ Xiao Fang's naked sword was now coated in his dual cultivation qi. Since only a dual cultivator could feel dual cultivation qi, she needed to breakthrough to the 1st stage with that method to know what he was doing ]

Xiao Fang began to thrust. Although he started slow, he was getting deeper each time. She was embarrassed because her pussy was making lewd sounds from being so tight. However, as soon as she felt Xiao Fang lightly pulling her hair, she quickly forgot about it.

'It started,' she thought.

Xiao Fang began to thrust a bit faster as one hand rested on her tender waist. His other hand rather spanked her ass or pulled her hair. She never thought would enjoy something like this, but combined with his powerful thrusts, the abuse only heightened the experience.

She bit her lip cutely as she tried to stick her butt up for him.

"Mmmm~ mymm~ mymm~"

"Yes, right there~ aha~ It's so deep~"

"Ahh~ ahh~ ahh~"

Even if he didn't show it for appearance sake, Xiao Fang was also having a great time. Her pussy was warm, tight, and wet, and she had an extremely sexy figure. He felt like he would never get tired of fucking her like this.

Without even thinking, her soft pussy squished even tighter around his cock. The deeper he reached, the tighter, warmer, and wetter she got. Xiao Fang already knew where her weak spot was so he attacked it first.

[ Naked Sword Thrusting Barrage ]

With each thrust, he hit her most sensitive areas, and the pleasure multiplied each time.

"Ahh~ ahh~ ahh~ so good!"

"Make me cum! yes yes yes! right there, right there! ahhhaa!!~~"

She stuck her butt up a bit more, making her soft round cheeks squish against his crotch. Every time he shoved his fat long dick deep into her tight farting pussy, ripples would appear on her plump asscheeks.

Xiao Fang quickly changed positions, making her lay faced up on top of him as he laid on the grass.

In this position, her perky tits shook as he fucked her viciously. He then grabbed one of her tits and squeezed it while his other hand alternated between wrapping around her neck or rubbing her clit.

She couldn't even think straight, all she could feel was all of her nerve endings being stimulated to the max.

She suddenly screamed in ecstasy as her waters began to spray. Her body squirmed around, but she couldn't break free. He clenched her breast even tighter as he rubbed her clit more vigorously.

She took shorter breaths, her heart beat faster, and her sexy sweaty back rubbed against his hard chest and abs.

Her back finally arched as her tightened, but Xiao Fang still didn't let her go. He pushed his pleasure stick deeper and deeper in till he could feel her womb.

Feeling the tiny entrance to her womb made his dragon twitch uncontrollably.

"Fuck, you're so tight!" He grunted as he raised his butt up higher off the ground. He couldn't stop his body from wanting to break through that second wall.

Her pretty white feet arched, her little toes could barely reach the grass, and she held on tightly to his muscular forearm as his hand was strumming her quivering clit like an instrument.

Xiao Fang kept trying to push into her womb. She could feel what he was trying to do, but didn't think something like that was possible. However, the unbelievable eventually happened. The tiny entrance to that second wall started to get bigger as Xiao Fang's dick finally started to enter it.

"Nnn! Too deep, it's too deep! Long Wang, Ahha!~~"

Her toes curled, her back arched, and her body tensed up. She felt like she was going to explode. Suddenly, her stomach convulsed, and her beautifully white porcelain legs trembled in the air. In the next moment, piss and cum started to eject out of her tightening pussy.

She was climaxing again.

Feeling new territory, he couldn't control himself from wanting to explore it more. As she was climaxing, Xiao Fang mercilessly started thrusting into her womb.

Yao Yin was stiff, tight, and mute. No matter how good she felt, not a sound came out of her because she was feeling too good from being fucked in her tight womb.

Xiao Fang continued to fuck her relentlessly, making her legs flail around and her liquids eject out of her.

She gritted her teeth in pleasure, she really felt like she was going to lose her mind. After a few more seconds of savagely ravaging her innards, his hard dick finally pushed deep inside of her womb and twitched repeatedly as his cum gushed to his tip. In the next moment, his cum shot out of his dick like a broken dam.

"Nnnhhnnn~~~"

Despite how far he had pushed her, he had only just begun.

Just when she thought it was done, Xiao Fang changed positions again.

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Xiao Fang executed each of his Naked Sword Art techniques, making her cum intensely each time. Every time she came it would be even stronger than the last. At the end, he finished her off letting her experience heaven one last time.

[ Naked Sword Thrusting Heaven ]

...

Feeling his cum rushing in, she slowly returned from that transcendent-like state. Xiao Fang let her roll off to the side, then hugged her as she laid next to him.

He had cum so many times inside of her that when she climaxed this time only his cum and qi could be seen coming out.

Yao Yin trembled helplessly in his arms as her long climax slowly faded. Feeling Xiao Fang's warm embrace after such an intense session was exactly what she needed. It was the kind of hug she would want even if she didn't need it.

Her nipples were still peaking out because the air was slightly breezy, but Xiao Fang kept her warm and comfortable as he held her close.

Chapter 165 - New Dual Cultivator

Several minutes passed, but Yao Yin still laid motionless in his arms.

This whole night was crazy to her. She came with a certain expectation, but he had completely shattered them. However, the thing she didn't expect was to start developing feelings for him.

She suspected that it had something to do with his dual cultivation method, but just laying in his arms like this made her feel safe and warm inside. She wished she could stay like this forever.

"How do you feel?" Xiao Fang asked.

She nodded slightly, not wanting him to let go of her.

As much as she enjoyed it, Xiao Fang wanted to go back to training. Since Yao Yin needed to return the [ Spirit Perception ] technique back to her house before her father noticed it was gone, Xiao Fang needed to learn the technique as soon as possible.

Yao Yin had told Xiao Fang that he could keep it for a few days because her father was going to be out on a long mission, but Xiao Fang didn't want to risk it.

Xiao Fang used one hand to give each of her breasts a light squeeze before he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Let's go back to training. We can continue this later."

Xiao Fang was never much of a cuddler, but cuddling with Li Lian so much at night made him more open to it. To his surprise, he was actually starting to enjoy it quite a bit.

Yao Yin was reluctant to get up, but once Xiao Fang took his arms off her, she eventually did. She climbed back on top of him then continued practicing the dual cultivation method.

-

-

-

In the morning, Xiao Fang suddenly felt Yao Yin make a breakthrough to the 1st stage of the [ Dual Cultivation ] Spirit Foundation realm.

"Did you just..."

"I did," Yao Yin nodded happily. "It seems I'm quite talented with this cultivation method after all," she smiled.

"Mn, it seems you are," he smiled back.

Xiao Fang didn't expect her to make a breakthrough so soon because it took Xun Wei almost a week to make a breakthrough to the first stage. Although Xun Wei didn't get to practice with Xiao Fang's Profound qi like Yao Yin did, it was still an impressive accomplishment nonetheless.

...

Yao Yin was exhausted after a long night of cultivating, so Xiao Fang carried her up to his guest bedroom since Yan Mei was still asleep on his main one.

She happily hugged him after he crawled under the blanket with her. Her naked breasts squished against his body, her legs tangled with his, and she gently caressed his face as she kissed him softly. She loved the comforting feeling of his skin on skin, especially because Xiao Fang was just so warm.

As promised, Xiao Fang cuddled with her under the sheets, and they enjoyed each other's touch as they quietly made out. She eventually turned around and let him hug her from behind.

Although her hair smelled nice, it was different from Li Lian's. Xiao Fang cupped her breast and held her close. He big spooned her like that as he waited for her to fall asleep.

"Long Wang, were you able to learn anything from the technique I gave you?" She asked quietly as if she was just about to fall asleep.

"Mn, I learned a bit," he replied half-truthfully.

"I'm glad," she said before her mind went blank and she finally fell asleep

Suddenly, his eyes began to glow.

When he looked at her now, he could see the flow of qi circulating inside of her. Xiao Fang had an idea of how to use the technique, but he still needed to test it out in combat.

Xiao Fang had learned more than 'a bit', he had completely grasped the fundamentals of the [ Spirit Perception ] technique. The reason he didn't say anything was because he didn't want her to connect the dots.

The only way Xiao Fang could learn a technique this quickly was if he had already dual cultivated with someone that had already learned the same technique before. Yu An's existence was a dangerous secret, so it was better not to put any attention on her.

Xiao Fang continued to cuddle with her as she slept.

...

A few minutes later, he got up then left the room. Classes didn't start till next week, so for the meantime Xiao Fang wanted to explore the sect a bit more.

Thinking about where to go, an idea eventually came to mind, but when he opened the door to leave his house he saw a familiar face standing on the other side.

"What's wrong? Do you think I wouldn't recognize you with that blindfold on?" The Supreme Elder said with knitted brows.

"No, I just didn't expect to see you so soon. Do you want to come in?" Xiao Fang replied.

"I am a busy woman, Long Wang. Quickly, show me the spirit mark on your arm," she said.

Xiao Fang removed his arm from his sleeve then revealed his half naked chest and muscular arm. Suddenly, he began to circulate his qi through his arm, making the spirit mark glow.

Seeing it glow, the Supreme Elder quickly inspected it with a skeptical gaze, but when she looked closely she was shocked to discover who the spirit mark signature belonged to.

'This... is definitely her spirit signature, but why would she give him such a high class placement?' she thought.

The Supreme Elder no longer questioned the authenticity of the spirit mark nor the decision for him to be placed in the Phoenix Class. The person that gave him his class placement was the only person that was above her in rank besides the Matriarch.

"Long Wang, come with me."

Not wasting her time, Xiao Fang obediently followed the Supreme Elder away.

'It seems I'll have to put my plans on hold for now,' Xiao Fang thought.

.

.

.

Not long after Xiao Fang left with the Supreme Elder, Yan Mei eventually woke up.

She stretched her arms and legs before sitting up on the bed. She quickly realized that she wasn't at her house, then her face turned red as she recalled the events that happened the night before.

Suddenly, her jaw dropped.

"Did I... really fall asleep."

In the next moment, Yan Mei screamed at the top of her lungs. Luckily the rooms were sound proof, so Yao Yin didn't wake up.

"How could I fall asleep when it was about to happen. What the hell is wrong with me!"

Yan Mei eventually got up, but she didn't put her clothes back on. She quickly checked all of the rooms, but she couldn't find Xiao Fang anywhere.

She finally squatted down and rested her head on her knees because she felt like crying. The most embarrassing thing about it was her friends.

"What am I going to tell them," she sobbed.

She knew if she told her friends, they would never let her hear the end of it.

Chapter 166 - High-Grade Spirit Pendant

"Long Wang, come with me."

Not wasting her time, Xiao Fang obediently followed the Supreme Elder away.

'It seems I'll have to put my plans on hold for now,' Xiao Fang thought.

.

.

.

The Supreme Elder took Xiao Fang back to the place where Jiang Mei registered him as her direct disciple. That's when it dawned on him. He assumed she brought him here because they were struggling to find his master.

Back then, Jiang Mei put him down as 'Da Long', but when asked for his name during the exam, he said 'Long Wang'. Although keeping track of names made things easier, there were more secure ways of proving who was registered under what elder.

Xiao Fang followed their instructions and let them check his spirit mark signature, then they went back to find the elder that matched him in their files. Xiao Fang didn't have to wait long for them to figure out who his master was. This was standard procedure for everyone that passed the secondary test in the exam. They only decided to start with Xiao Fang first since there was more confusion as to who his master was.

The elder that checked him came back from the back room with a nameplate in her hands.

"So, it's Elder Jiang Mei. She was still a disciple not too long ago," the Supreme Elder commented when she saw the nameplate.

"Are we done here?" Xiao Fang asked the inner court elder behind the front desk.

"Yes. I'll notify Jiang Mei that you passed the exam and she'll be accommodated into the inner court," the inner court elder said.

Just as Xiao Fang was about to leave the Supreme Elder grab his arm and took him somewhere where they could be alone.

'She's fast,' Xiao Fang thought.

...

Since the Matriarch was supposed to return to the sect today and announce to everyone that Li Lian was her direct disciple, the Supreme Elder wanted to inform her that Li Lian had a fiancé before that happened.

"Tell me the truth, are you and Li Lian really engaged?" the Supreme Elder asked.

"Did you already forget our agreement?" Xiao Fang said.

"No, but this is urgent."

Xiao Fang paused to think.

After learning about all the things he could get in the inner court he greedily started to think about what he could get from this Supreme Elder.

"Alright, but I want something in return."

"Name your price," she immediately replied.

Xiao Fang knew that the elders didn't carry around merit points. Instead he asked for the most expensive thing he could remember from the tour he was recently on.

"I want a high-grade spirit pendant."

...

Before he could enter the Ancestral Training Grounds, Xiao Fang had to buy a special pendant, the same kind of pendant he used during the exam. The only problem was the price.

What he used during the exam was a Low-grade spirit pendants, but even that was already a bit expensive

Small-grade pendants = 5,000 merit points.

Medium-grade pendants = 25,000 merit points.

High-grade pendants = 100,000 merit points.

...

The Supreme elder furrowed her brows. She acted unwilling so that he wouldn't ask for more. She was even thinking about negotiating, but she didn't want to risk it when something like that was well within her means to get.

Although a high-grade spirit pendant was an extremely valuable commodity that not even Core Court elders could easily get their hands on, as a Supreme Elder it wasn't a problem at all.

"Alright, but you have to tell me your relationship with Li Lian in detail."

Xiao Fang thought he was making an unreasonable demand and was planning to work his way down from there, the last thing he expected was for her to agree to it so soon.

She reached into her spatial pouch then gave him what he wanted. Xiao Fang was hardly ever excited about anything, but sensing her take it out made his jaw drop.

She put it in his hands then he began to inspect it. Xiao Fang could immediately tell that it was real because the profound feeling he was getting from it was something that couldn't be faked. Furthermore, the inscription engraved on the back was far more complicated than the one he used during the exam.

Xiao Fang noticed that it was slightly glowing, meaning that there was some Illusory qi left in there, so he extracted a small amount of it and let it flow into his dantian.

Xiao Fang was flabbergasted. The qi was so pure. He knew even cultivating a small amount of it would raise his cultivation by leaps and bounds, just how fast would he be able to cultivate with this thing, he wondered.

After confirming that it was real, Xiao Fang put the high-grade spirit pendant away, then told the Supreme Elder what she wanted to know.

"Li Lian is a beautiful girl, so we often did the thing between men and women."

"..." the Supreme Elder was speechless.

Although Xiao Fang was a very young and good-looking man, but she still didn't expect such a talented girl like Li Lian to easily sleep with him.

"Then does that mean-"

Xiao Fang shook his head. "As much as I would like to marry her, the truth is we are not engaged," Xiao Fang confessed.

...

What he said was the truth.

Since they didn't get their parent's approval yet, their engagement was technically not official. Right now they were simply lovers, the equivalent to 2 people dating in modern times. If Xiao Fang was to say that she was his fianceé it would've been as much of a lie as saying that she was already his wife.

...

"What? But Fei Lin admitted to it. Are you telling me that she was lying?"

"I was also regularly sleeping with Fei Lin," Xiao Fang said.

"You..." the Supreme Elder's jaw dropped.

"I don't know why Fei Lin would say that Li Lian was was my fiancée, but the truth is that the three of us along with a few others were very sexually active with each other."

Even if Xiao Fang wasn't Li Lian's fiancé, it was still incredible news that he was sleeping with her and Xiao Hei.

"Is that enough?" Xiao Fang asked.

Hearing his question, she began to think. She felt like this was her time to ask anything she wanted, so she took her time with it. Suddenly, she realized something in his words.

"Who else were you referring to when you said 'a few others'?"

There were 2 girls in particular she was suspecting. Earlier that day when she was looking for Xiao Fang's house, she discovered that both Bai Fan and Zhao Pan lived right next to him. Back then she just assumed that he picked a place between them, but now she was having second thoughts.

'Could it be them? No, he wouldn't be so daring to chase after a Supreme Elder's daughter. And what are the chances that all of the most talented disciples from the outer court this year were all sleeping with him.' The Supreme Elder thought.

She began to sweat nervously as she thought about Bai Fan's mother and what she would do to Xiao Fang if he really did sleep with her only daughter.

"Y-You didn't sleep with... Bai Fan... did you?" the Supreme Elder whispered Bai Fan's name.

"What I agreed to tell you was simply about my relationship with Li Lian. If you want to know about the other girls I slept with then you will have to forgive me. That is something I can't tell you."

"Name your price," she immediately replied.

Xiao Fang shook his head.

"I cannot tell you for confidentiality reasons."

Xiao Fang didn't want to lose credibility with his clients since he was going to rely on them heavily in the inner court.

She was reluctant to leave things the way the were, but it was evident that he wasn't going to tell her anything else.

"May I be dismissed?" Xiao Fang asked.

The Supreme Elder sighed.

"Alright, you can go."

Xiao Fang nodded then left.

Despite wanting to know more about Xiao Fang, she got the information she needed so she wasn't too disappointed.

-

-

-

After Xiao Fang left, he entered the first large red pagoda he saw. Inside he saw hundreds on female disciples waiting for their turn to use one of the available trial pods.

Xiao Fang got the run down on how everything operated from Su Lingxi, so he knew that he would be able to find less people upstairs since it was only reserved for certain classes.

Xiao Fang climbed the stairs, but was stopped when he reached the door.

"Class?" The female guard said after stopping Xiao Fang.

"Phoenix-class," Xiao Fang replied simply.

The girl smirked mockingly, "Do you think I'm an idiot? Don't tell me, show me."

Chapter 167 - Top 10

"Don't tell me, show me."

.

.

.

The female guard could see that his robes had the image of a Phoenix embroidered onto it, but anyone could fake something like that if they were committed enough.

Xiao Fang let his qi circulate through his arm. The guard then put a device over it then her expression changed to shock when she turned the device over.

"You're really-"

"Will you let me through now?" Xiao Fang asked.

"Y-y-yes, of course," she said nervously with a slight bow.

She heard the rumors about him, but she didn't think they were true. Who would believe that a blind man became a Phoenix Class disciple straight after taking the inner court exam.

...

Xiao Fang had to go through the same hassle with the next 2 floors, but when he reached the floor reserved for the tiger class disciples he stopped to look around. There were only 5 trial pods being used. Each pod was black and rectangular in shape, He didn't sense Xiao Hei within them so he continued walking up to the next floor.

As Xiao Fang was walking up the stairs, one girl opened her eyes and saw Xiao Fang.

'Isn't that the new guy?' She thought.

The girl's name was Li Yahui. Like many of the other Li family clansmen, Li Yahui had emerald green eyes and long brown hair. She was 169cm tall and wore comfortably baggy robes that hid her proportions.

The reason why Li Yahui was interested in Xiao Fang was simply because Li Xiang had told everyone from the Li Family clan to keep a look out for him. If anyone was to find him, they were to bring him to her.

Despite being new to the inner court, everyone listened to Li Xiang. They didn't just listen to her because her father was the Patriarch of the Li Family Clan, they listened to her because she was a natural born leader. Even if she wasn't done growing and only standing around 157cm tall, no one looked down at her. Her confidence, reputation, and presence was too overwhelming.

...

Instead of leaving the pagoda, Li Yahui stayed seated and patiently waited for Xiao Fang to come back down from the top floor.

.

.

.

On the top floor of the Pagoda, Xiao Fang was a bit surprised to find that no one was there. Since he was alone he lifted his blindfold to take a look around.

Each trial pod was stationed along the walls, completely black in colour, and rectangular in shape. It was only about 2 meters tall, so Xiao Fang's head wasn't too far from the roof when he entered. There were some instructions within the Trial Pod around knee level, so Xiao Fang sat down then began to read them.

Xiao Fang skimmed over most of the instructions, but paused when he saw the virtual leaderboard. It was constantly changing meaning that it was recording everyone's scores in real time.

He didn't see any Dragon-Class disciples on the leaderboard, so he assumed they couldn't participate. It made sense now that there wasn't a floor higher than this one.

Beside each score was the disciple's name, class, and in some cases even the name of the guild or group they were associated with. There were a few disciples that left some of their information empty, but it was more common the higher up the leaderboard he looked. Strangely, the disciple that occupied the 9th position on the leaderboard had left their name, class, and guild all completely blank.

'Interesting,' Xiao Fang thought.

...

Xiao Fang eventually paid the 100 merit points fee to activate it, then the door to the cramped trial pod closed behind him. He followed the instructions and circulated his qi through his spirit mark so that the trial pod could identify who he was. He then had the opportunity to add his name and class, but he decided to leave it all blank.

Xiao Fang closed his eyes then took deeper breaths. He slowly slipped into a meditative state, then felt his spirit body begin to separate from his physical one. In the next moment, his surroundings began to change.

The feeling was identical to when he was in the Spirit Cauldron, so it gave him goosebumps. Similarly to when he was in the spirit cauldron, he was no longer blindfolded and his dantian was shining light blue because of his Spirit Attribute.

Xiao Fang looked around but he didn't see anything unusual. He was standing in an open field that seemed to extend as far as the horizon. However, when he looked up, he could see a scoreboard.

[ 000,000 ]

A few moments later he began to feel a change in the atmosphere, but it wasn't the weather that was changing, it was the natural qi around him. Suddenly, a 2nd tiered beast materialized not too far from where he stood, but Xiao Fang simply flicked his sleeve shooting out Profound power at the beast, instantly killing it.

The mutilated beast turned into a mist of qi then it went up towards the scoreboard in the sky.

[ 000,000 ]

[ 000,001 ]

Xiao Fang frowned. The top scores on the leaderboard were numbered in the tens of thousands.

'This is going to take forever...' he complained inwardly.

More 2nd tiered beasts started to spawn all around him, but Xiao Fang easily defeated them as soon as they appeared. He eventually killed a 3rd tiered beast, but he didn't even notice since it was still so much weaker than him.

[ 000,100 ]

[ 000,135 ]

'Should I just leave?' Xiao Fang thought.

Since he could still feel the connection to his physical body, he knew he could leave whenever he wanted.

However, Xiao Fang convinced himself to stay since he knew he could get more merit points per month if he placed high on the leaderboard.

...

Eventually, flying-types beasts began to appear as well, but Xiao Fang effortlessly killed them all the same.

It wasn't that the beasts were weak, it was just that Xiao Fang was too strong. Xiao Fang treated it like a game where he would try to kill the beasts the moment they spawned, he even attempted to predict their spawning locations too. Xiao Fang got carried away and activated his [ True Immortal Lightning Tribulation ] spirit attribute so that he could attack them even faster.

.

.

.

Several minutes later, Xiao Fang had killed more beasts than he bothered to count. He had reached a point where every beast that spawned was at the 6th tier. That was equivalent to fighting a 1st stage profound realm cultivator

Although he was trying to defeat the beasts as fast as he could, he wasn't foolish enough not to pay attention to the scoreboard.

[ 029,701 ]

Xiao Fang was nearing the top 10 so he was soon going to stop. He no longer killed the 6th tiered beasts as soon as they spawned, instead he carefully watched as his score increased from each kill.

[ 029,977 ]

[ 030,253 ]

When his score passed 31,000 he finally stopped. It was at that moment that he saw a 7th tiered beast spawn. Xiao Fang could tell that the beast was much smarter and much stronger than any of the 6th tiered beasts he faced. Even though he was tempted, he knew he had to stop.

Finally, Xiao Fang recalled his spirit body back into his physical one then watched as the leaderboard in front of him began to change.

...

11th - [ 027,655 ] Tan Xue, Phoenix Class, Spring Flower guild

10th - [ 031,081 ] ---

>>> 9th - [ 031,081 ] ---

...

Even though Xiao Fang tied with 10th place, his score was being highlighted in 9th. He assumed it was because he did it faster.

Xiao Fang then checked the allowance list, posted next to the leaderboard.

.

.

.

Top 100

> 20,000 merit points

Top 50

> 30,000 merit points

Top 10

> 40,000 merit points

Top 5

> 50,000 merit points

1st

> 70,000 merit points

Xiao Fang's eyes lit up greedily when he saw the amount of merit points he would receive this month.

'If I get Xiao Hei to reach the top 10 too, wouldn't I get 80,000 a month?'

Thinking about that, Xiao Fang pushed finding Xiao Hei higher up on his list of things to do. Luckily, as he was leaving he ran into Li Yahui.

"Y-You're Long Wang?" She asked.

"I am."

"C-Can you come with me? L-Li Xiang wants to see you."

Xiao Fang was blindfolded, but she still couldn't look at him. How could there be such a shy girl in this world?

"Alright, lead the way," Xiao Fang replied.

Xiao Fang could tell that she was going out of her way just to talk to him, so he didn't make it hard for her. Since she already mentioned Li Xiang's name, that was all he needed to hear to make him follow her. If anyone would know where Xiao Hei was, it would be her.

Chapter 168 - Li Lian's Fiancé

In the city just outside of the Black Paradise sect, a commotion broke out as news of the Matriarch's return began to spread. Besides the Elected Head, the Matriarch was the most respected and admired person in the entire province. So when the people heard that she'd be passing through their streets, of course, they all got excited.

Large crowds flocked to the streets or climbed up high places as they waited for the Matriarch's arrival. Eventually, the front gates opened then several beasts carrying a half-house-sized carriage came into view. The moment the people saw the large dazzling carriage they immediately began to cheer.

The beasts slowed down as they entered the city, and dozens of beautiful female experts could be seen escorting the carriage through the streets. Each of the female disciples around the carriage attracted the public's gaze because they were all top notch beauties that could only be found in paintings.

.

.

.

"Mommy, look. They're so pretty," one little girl said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"I can see that, dear. Maybe if you study hard you can be like them someday," her mother replied.

.

.

.

Inside the fancy carriage, Li Lian sat silently next to the Matriarch with a troubled expression on her face. Despite how much the people cheered, Li Lian seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Li Lian what's wrong? Are you getting home sick already?" The Matriarch asked.

Li Lian realized the expression she was making when she heard her master's voice.

"Ah, no. I was just thinking about something my mother said before we left."

The Matriarch was curious about Li Lian's personal life, so she asked,

"It must've been something important. What did she say?"

Li Lian paused as she thought about what to say. Her mother brought up the topic of marriage, specifically if she was still going to marry Xiao Fang.

...

Perhaps it was because Gao Chen had died, Li Lian's mother was now being super supportive of her decision to marry Xiao Fang, she even got her husband to give her his blessing. Truth was, Li Lian's father was just proud that she became such a talented cultivator. His cultivation was deep, but he was a humble man with little ambitions, all he ever wanted was the best for his family.

Due to Li Lian's accomplishments, he garnered respect from his fellow clansmen and his position within the family sect sky rocketed. He was proud of her, so whatever Li Lian decided to do he would fully support her.

What Li Lian wanted to do was marry Xiao Fang, but she didn't know how the Matriarch would react.

...

After a few seconds passed, Li Lian finally replied,

"It's... It's about a man."

To Li Lian's surprise, the Matriarch seemed to get even more interested.

"Oh? What man? Is he from the Black Paradise sect?"

The Matriarch tried to get more information out of her as she smiled gleefully from ear to ear.

Seeing that she wasn't mad, Li Lian spoke again.

"It's about my fiancé. My mother asked me if I still wanted to marry him."

Since she now got her parents' and Yu An's approval, she felt as if it was now appropriate to refer to Xiao Fang as her fiancé.

The Matriarch was speechless.

"You... You already have a fiancé? Aren't you too young?"

...

Although it was common for girls Li Lian's age to be married off by their parents. It was extremely uncommon for cultivators her age to settle down, especially a cultivator as talented as Li Lian.

What the Matriarch didn't know was that Li Lian's parents didn't intend for her to become a cultivator. They had picked a fiancé for her before she got accepted into the Black Paradise sect. The only reason they let her go to the sect was to get closer to Gao Chen.

They had hoped that she would gradually learn to like Gao Chen and become his loving wife and mother to his children, but they didn't see through Gao Chen's intentions and underestimated Li Lian's passion for cultivation.

...

"My parents never intended for me to become a cultivator," Li Lian explained simply.

"I see. So, what are you going to do then? Do you want to settle down and marry him or do you want to be a cultivator?" The Matriarch asked.

"I..."

Li Lian froze when she saw the serious look on the Matriarch's face. She felt like her next words would determine her fate.

"C-Can't I do both?"

The Matriarch didn't reply. She wanted Li Lian to think about it carefully.

Seeing that the Matriarch was silent, Li Lian spoke again, but this time she spoke with a little more confidence in her tone.

"I want to be a cultivator, but one day, I will definitely marry him."

The Matriarch finally sighed as she looked away.

Li Lian didn't know what to make out of her reaction. The last thing she wanted was to make the Matriarch upset, but she wanted to be straightforward with her about this.

"Master, am I not allowed to marry him?"

"According to the sect's rules, you are not."

Li Lian felt as if her worst fears had come true.

"Master, I-"

The Matriarch suddenly cut her off, and made Li Lian's eyes light up happily from her next words.

"However, many things have changed since the old days and I've never been too fond of the rules myself."

"Then does that mean..."

"Don't get your hopes up. If he can't get my approval, then I won't allow you to marry him. I won't idly watch from the side as a precious gem like you gets tarnished by some dirt."

Li Lian smiled happily from her words, "Master, thank you for being so understanding."

The Matriarch felt guilty for receiving her thanks, because she was the one who couldn't afford to lose Li Lian. Considering Li Lian's amazing talent, the Matriarch didn't mind breaking a few sect rules to keep her under her wing. Especially since she never really planned on letting Li Lian marry her fiancé.

"So, what's his name," the Matriarch asked.

"It's Fang."

"Just 'Fang'? Do you not even know his surname?"

Li Lian scratched the back of her head as she smiled nervously. She was aware of the reputation the Divine Sword sect had, so she was wise not to say his full name.

"Aiya, how could you fall in love with someone so easily," the Matriarch complained.

"Master, have you ever fallen in love before?" Li Lian asked to change the topic.

"Of course I have, but it was short lived."

"What happened?"

"As I told you before, it's against sect rules, but in this specific case I fell in love with someone I definitely shouldn't have fallen in love with."

The Matriarch could tell that Li Lian was interested in her story. Since they were traveling slowly through the city, they had plenty of time to spare.

The Matriarch thought back to nearly 40 years ago when she was in her early 20s. Back then she was just a disciple named Shi Lan, but since her mother was the Matriarch of the sect, she was still treated favorably by her peers.

Her best friend at the time was not only popular for her beauty, but there were also many guys with prominent backgrounds visiting the Black Paradise sect just to ask her hand in marriage. However, she always rejected them. She was so beautiful it was an understatement to simply say that she was the most beautiful girl in the entire province. She might very well be the most beautiful girl in the entire country.

At the time, Shi Lan assumed it was because there was already a guy in her life, but no matter how many times she asked her about him she would just say he was a close childhood friend. However, the man she casually called a friend was the most handsome man she had ever met.

"What was the name of your friend?" Li Lian suddenly asked.

Judging by the description the Matriarch gave and the time period, Li Lian could already guess who it was.

"Her name... was Yu An."

Chapter 169 - Yu An's Gift

"Her name was Yu An."

.

.

.

Li Lian didn't react, she already mentally prepared herself for that answer, so all she could think about now was why Yu An didn't tell her, and whether Xiao Fang knew about this or not.

Knowing that she was talking about Xiao Fang's mother, Li Lian assumed the man in her story was Xiao Fang's father, Xiao Jianhong.

"Master, you said the one you loved at the time was someone you definitely shouldn't have loved. Why's that?"

"Well, for one, Yu An and him were very close, so it felt wrong getting in between them."

"Couldn't you both just marry him?" Li Lian asked.

"Perhaps, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Yu An was the daughter of a Patriarch so there would be complications relating to Xiao Jianhong's heir if we were to both have his kids."

...

Li Lian was surprised because this was the first time she was hearing that Yu An was the daughter of a Patriarch, but now it made sense why Xiao Fang's step mother left.

'Does that mean Xiao Fang could inherit the Divine Sword sect? Maybe not, he was titled a bastard after all. However, that's because no one knew who his mother was,' Li Lian thought.

If Xiao Fang had a chance before, he definitely didn't have one now. Xiao Kong had already agreed to the Chaos sect's demand to disown Xiao Fang. This was the reason why Xiao Fang's step mother and step sister were finally returning to the Divine Sword sect after so many years.

...

"The second reason is the reason why my mother punished me," the Matriarch continued to speak. "The man I had a crush on was the sole heir of the Divine Sword sect, Xiao Jianhong."

The Matriarch assumed Li Lian was too young to know anything about what happened during those times, so she explained.

"You may not know much about the Divine Sword sect, but they are a sect full of swordsmen who claim themselves to be honorable for fighting a never ending war against the Chaos sect. As for the Chaos sect, they are known as a lawless sect full of Taboo Cultivators."

When Li Lian was growing up, she heard a few stories about the Chaos sect, so she didn't understand how the Divine Sword sect could be comparable to them. Especially since they seemed alright when she visited the sect.

"I don't understand. If the Chaos sect is so bad, then wouldn't the Divine Sword sect be heroes for fighting them?" Li Lian asked.

"Many people used to think that too, but after they formed an alliance together, they proved to the country that they were just as ruthless as the Chaos sect."

The Matriarch could see that Li Lian was still confused so she explained.

"It was just rumors at the time, but it was later confirmed that the Divine Sword sect had conquered or annihilated all of the minor sects in their own province during that alliance. This happened to be the same province my friend Yu An lived in, so I can only imagine what happened to her and her family."

...

Li Lian had already heard about this from Yu An, but contrary to what the Matriarch said, the Divine Sword sect and the Chaos sect never allied with one another, they had just agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Also, Xiao Fang had explained to her that if they didn't resort to the things they did they definitely wouldn't have survived the following year.

It was no secret that the Divine Sword sect was vastly outnumbered compared to the other major sects, but still no one ever messed with them, no one except the Chaos sect. It was only due to Xiao Kong's bluff and unwavering confidence that made the Chaos sect agree to the ceasefire. Since that day Xiao Kong was seen as a brilliant war hero, and was added to the Divine Sword sect's history books as one of the greatest war heroes to have ever fought in this generational war.

Due to the events that happened during their ceasefire, the Divine Sword sect had lost all of their allies and were blacklisted from joining any of the major events in the country. Only under the royal court's supervision were the Divine Sword sect and Chaos sect allowed to participate in the royal court's annual tournaments.

...

After a moment to lament the loss of her friend, the Matriarch continued speaking,

"Back then, the Divine Sword sect's crimes were just rumors. Xiao Jianhong was never a part of the Black Paradise sect so I could never ask him about it myself. The only time I could see him was when he came to visit Yu An. Yu An knew how I felt about him, so one day she gave me a gift, and convinced me to do something bold. Unfortunately, that was the day when the Divine Sword sect's crimes came to light. When my mother caught us, she expelled Yu An, blacklisted Xiao Jianhong, and put me under confinement in my own home for several years. I never heard from either of them again."

Truth was, the Matriarch did see Xiao Jianhong at least once a year because of the annual tournaments, but she couldn't muster up the courage to ask him what happened to Yu An.

Li Lian felt her heart ache when she heard how tragically the Matriarch's story ended. The worst thing about it was that Li Lian knew how things played out, but she couldn't tell the Matriarch about it otherwise she'd be exposing a dangerous secret.

The carriage became awkwardly quiet. The Matriarch only wanted to build a trusting relationship with Li Lian, but she ended up over sharing her past with her.

Li Lian was reluctant to let the story end this way, so she hesitantly gave the Matriarch a clue.

"Master... now that you're the Matriarch of the Black Paradise sect, can't you go visit him?"

The Matriarch shook her head.

"No one really knows what's going on in that sect, but from what I've been told, Xiao Jianhong already married the Patriarch's daughter of the Chaos sect."

Despite knowing this, the Matriarch didn't seem upset at all. She continued speaking,

"Besides, the reason Yu An convinced me to sleep with him that day was to teach me a valuable lesson. My love for him was just an illusion. I never really loved him, I just wanted to sleep with him."

Li Lian felt like her master's words were directed at her, but Li Lian knew that she deeply loved Xiao Fang, and didn't just love him for the sex. She had gone through months without sleeping in the same bed as him, but her feelings for him remained the same. Even if he was to lose his cultivation and become a cripple from the waist down, she still wouldn't love him any less. She thought about Xiao Fang everyday, and she knew he did the same.

"Master, you said that Yu An left you a gift?"

"Did I say that? I suppose she did, but I wouldn't call it a gift."

Li Lian tilted her head curiously, but the Matriarch didn't explain. The gift Yu An gave her wasn't a gift, but a curse. Yu An gave her a complete Dual Cultivation method book and in all this time she was never able to get rid of it. It was the one thing she had that reminded her of Yu An. What the Matriarch didn't know was that it was the last remaining complete Dual Cultivation book in the country since the annihilation of the Dual Cultivation sect.

"Anyways, enough about me. I'd like to meet your fiancé, can it be arranged?"

"O-Of course, if that's what Master wants."

"Good, I can't wait to meet him."

Chapter 170 - Misdirection

"Good, I can't wait to meet him."

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Meanwhile in the inner court.

Xiao Fang was still following Li Yahui. When they reached their destination, Xiao Fang was shocked.

"Why is Li Xiang's house so big?" Xiao Fang asked.

Li Yahui nearly laughed.

"It's our Li Family's guild house," she said with a smile.

"Ah... that makes sense."

"Common, Li Xiang should be inside."

Li Yahui took him in and the first thing he noticed was the elevated levels of natural qi.

'Amazing. The qi here is even denser than what I felt in the hot bathhouse,' Xiao Fang thought.

"Are all guild houses built on cultivation hotspots?"

"Mh hm, it's even stronger than this if you were to go to a Major guild house" she replied.

When Li Yahui turned around to see how Xiao Fang was doing, she became amazed. He didn't seem to be struggling from the pressure at all. What she didn't know was that Xiao Fang's cultivation was much higher than the average inner court disciples', so it wasn't a big deal to him.

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Extra info:

The increased levels of environmental qi would make a cultivator's spirit body feel much heavier. This would increase one's cultivation if they were to meditate in it, and help cultivators learn techniques more quickly too.

What most disciples forget is that the whole sect is located on a giant cultivation hotspot. The closer you get to the center of it (the core court) the heavier the pressure becomes. However, there were certain patches around the inner court that release more qi than they should be. It's a common natural phenomenon that no one knows how to explain, but it's what Xiao Fang referred to as a 'cultivation hotspot'.

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As Li Yahui took Xiao Fang deeper into the minor guild house, he could see a few girls cross legged, eyes closed, and cultivating the illusory qi out of their spirit pendants.

There was a girl in nearly every room he walked passed, some were meditating while others were practicing their cultivation techniques. Each room was different, but as the girls saw Xiao Fang walking down the hallway, they immediately stopped what they were doing to go see him.

...

"Hey, isn't he the one Li Xiang wanted us to find?" One Li family clansman whispered to another.

"I think he is... why is Li Xiang asking us to bring an outsider into our guild house? Isn't that against the Li Family Guild's rules?"

"Yeah, but who's going to stop her?"

...

Xiao Fang could hear the girls whispering about him. They referred to him as an outsider as if he was trespassing into their territory, so it made him feel unwanted.

'It seems they aren't too welcoming to guests,' Xiao Fang thought.

Li Yahui finally stopped next to a door.

"This is Li Xiang's room. She should be inside," she said with a sweet voice.

"Thank you, Li Yahui. Maybe next time we can talk over some springberry tea," he said, knowing which brew she liked.

"Un, I would like that," she smiled.

Even though he didn't get to speak to her for long, he knew that she was an innocent and kind hearted girl. She was no longer shy when she spoke to him, and she had a beautiful smile. In the end she left a good impression on him, so he didn't mind meeting her again in the future.

Xiao Fang faced the door then pushed it open. As soon as he stepped in he immediately sensed Li Xiang inside.

"Long Wang, you're here," LI Xiang's face lit up as her sweat trickled down her beautiful skin.

"It seems I interrupted your training session. I could come back at a better time," Xiao Fang said.

"No, it's okay. Come in. I was just about to take a break anyways."

Xiao Fang closed the door behind him.

"Would you like a drink? It's a fruit mix with qi infused into it. It's pretty sweet."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass," Xiao Fang said as he took his shoes off.

Feeling the hard wooden floor beneath his feet gave him a nostalgic feeling. It reminded him of when he used to train in the Divine Sword sect's main training hall.

"It seems you really worked up a sweat. What technique were you practicing?" Xiao Fang asked.

"It's a movement technique called [ Misdirection ]."

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[ Misdirection ]:

The ability to perfectly time when to make an illusory image the moment you change directions. Once this technique is practiced to a high level, even cultivators a realm or two above you would have a hard time catching you.

The Li Family clan bought all the scrolls for this technique, so it became the Li family Clan's signature move in the inner court for decades.

The idea of monopolizing a technique wasn't just something the Li Family Guild did, most guilds had at least one signature technique that became exclusively for their guild members.

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"It's a pretty strong technique. I just started learning it, but not even Fei Lin was able to catch me."

Hearing that shocked Xiao Fang. If what she was saying was true then this was definitely a heaven defying technique.

"Aren't you curious? I could show you if you want," she said.

Xiao Fang became interested when she said that not even Fei Lin was able to catch her.

'Just how fast did the technique make her?' he wondered.

Before Xiao Fang could respond, Li Xiang put her cup down then began to run circles around him.

"Alright, come try to catch me," she said happily.

Suddenly, Li Xiang's eyes widened. She didn't know how, but Xiao Fang was suddenly gone. Not even a fraction of a second later, she saw him standing only a few meters in front of her. There was no time to be surprised, she immediately used her illusory technique.

[ Misdirection ]

Suddenly, she changed direction.

A smirk appeared on her face as she successfully executed the technique. However, the unexpected happened.

"Ahh!"

Li Xiang ran straight into Xiao Fang's body.

Xiao Fang was surprised, was this really the extent of her technique? He could've stopped her from running into him, but he wouldn't have been a dual cultivator if he did.