Ning Fan felt as if he had drifted through a long and bizarre dream.

In his slumber, the dual cultivation with Yun Qingyao had proceeded with supernatural smoothness. Their spiritual energy had merged seamlessly, circulating back and forth until his own cultivation advanced at an astonishing rate.

More miraculous still, a profound technique known as the Tianxuan Heart Sutra had been imprinted directly into his mind.

As the morning sun filtered into the cave dwelling, Ning Fan opened his eyes and immediately sensed the transformation within him.

His cultivation had leaped directly from the first layer of the Yellow Extreme Realm to the fourth!

On the path of martial arts, the realms ascended through four great extremes: Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heaven. Each realm was divided into nine minor layers.

In the three months since he had joined the sect as a Novice, he had barely managed to raise his cultivation by a single minor layer. Yet, this single night had yielded results equivalent to nine months of arduous toil.

Not only that, he had gained the Tianxuan Heart Sutra.

As he circulated the technique, Ning Fan discovered that the quality of his spiritual energy was several times higher than before, and his recovery speed had increased dramatically.

Even accounting for the heightened efficacy of a first-time dual cultivation session, the results were nearly impossible to believe.

He knew his own standing-he was a talentless wretch.

Because the Yin Yang Profound Scripture allowed Dao companions to share their cultivation and abilities, such a massive surge in power could only mean one thing: his partner's cultivation was vastly superior to his own.

That profound Tianxuan Heart Sutra could only have originated from her.

A bold guess took root in his mind.

Could it be that Yun Qingyao was not the weakling everyone assumed, but a hidden expert playing the pig to eat the tiger?

"Qingyao."

Ning Fan hesitated, then resolved to seek the truth.

He turned his head to look at his companion, only to be struck dumb by what he saw.

Lying beside him was not Yun Qingyao, but a stranger.

She possessed features like a painting, her face etched with an unassailable dignity. Even in sleep, she exuded a suffocating pressure.

"You are not Qingyao?"

Ning Fan was dazed.

But when he blinked and looked again, she had reverted to the likeness of Yun Qingyao, as if the vision had been a mere hallucination.

The joy of his breakthroughs vanished. Ning Fan was certain now: there was a secret behind Yun Qingyao that remained hidden from the world.

He was not so foolish as to mistake two such distinct beauties. The pressure the mysterious woman had exerted was too real to be a dream.

He looked at the girl beside him-her skin pale as jade beneath the sheets-and fell into deep thought. Since her talent and cultivation far surpassed his own, why had she chosen to submit to him?

"Mm... is it dawn?" Yun Qingyao sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Seeing she was awake, Ning Fan steeled himself.

"Qingyao, did anything unusual happen last night?"

She tilted her head, pondering for a moment.

"No. We just dual cultivated as the technique dictated, and then I fell asleep."

Her eyes suddenly brightened.

"Actually, I did have a strange dream. I dreamt I became someone else, in a vast, magnificent palace..."

Before Ning Fan could press for details, she had already climbed out of bed to dress.

She is unwilling to tell me the truth?

Ning Fan felt he could no longer read this seemingly innocent girl. If she would not speak, he would not ask. She was his Dao companion now, in every sense of the word. In time, the truth would be laid bare.

---

Within the Saintess's bedchamber at the Tianxuan Holy Land, Ye Honglian opened her eyes and found herself back in her familiar quarters.

The events of the night felt like an absurd dream, yet the residual sensations in her body and the extra knowledge in her mind confirmed their reality.

She smiled bitterly. No one in the Tianxuan Holy Land would ever believe that their revered Saintess, the goddess before whom powerful experts knelt, had lost her purity to a lowly martial artist just beginning his path.

She looked down at the ancient jade on her chest. Its surface, once dull, now shimmered with strange light.

"What is happening?" she whispered, suppressing her inner turmoil.

She attempted to circulate her cultivation, and her eyes widened in shock. The seventh-layer bottleneck of the Tianxuan Heart Sutra that had plagued her for years had been shattered.

"So that is it... The jade does not grant a legacy directly, but links the holder to another, sharing cultivation and insight through... that method."

Her cheeks flushed at the memory, but she quickly regained her regal composure.

She stroked the jade, where a clear character, 'One,' had appeared.

"One? If there is a one, there must be a two. Does the jade consist of multiple pieces? Must I collect them all to unlock the full secret?"

The face of that stranger flashed in her mind. Though she felt a flicker of shame, Ye Honglian knew that if she wished to grow stronger, she would eventually have to face the man who had taken her purity once more.

---

When the morning bell echoed through the valley, Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao stood in the testing square.

The Yin Yang Divine Sect required all new disciples to undergo an assessment after their first dual cultivation session.

Beside him, Yun Qingyao looked as serene as a painting, with fine droplets of morning mist clinging to her hair. Her clear eyes wandered the square with simple curiosity.

The spectator seats were already packed. For the veteran disciples, this assessment was the prime moment to select their 'prey.'

Naturally, as the most beautiful newcomer, Yun Qingyao became the focal point of the crowd.

"A fine beauty, ruined by a toad with Low Grade talent. A pity, truly."

"Old Liu, if you don't want her, keep your mouth shut. Once the protection period ends, I'll take her."

"Who said I didn't want her? I'm just expressing regret."

"You aren't worried about wasting a concubine slot? Sect rules limit disciples below the Earth Extreme Realm to three concubines."

"A girl like Yun Qingyao is fine as a plaything, but wasting a slot on her isn't worth it."

"I think Ning Fan has a decent face. You can take Yun Qingyao, but Ning Fan belongs to me!"

Hearing them discuss him and Yun Qingyao like livestock, anger flared in Ning Fan's eyes, yet this was the way of the sect.

Newcomers were assessed based on potential and combat power, graded from A to D. These grades determined their resources and the duration of their protection period.

During this time, veterans could not harass them. Furthermore, the sect prohibited veterans from taking disciples as concubines if the gap between their realms was too wide, as such pairings were deemed cost-ineffective.

Grade D: The sect's discards, protected for seven days.

Grade C: Ordinary talent, one month.

Grade B: Above-average talent, three months.

Grade A: Exceptional talent, protected for six months.

Clearly, the veterans expected Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao to receive a Grade D assessment. After seven days, they expected Yun Qingyao to become a plaything and Ning Fan to be cast aside like a dead dog.

They did not know that everything had changed.

Though Yun Qingyao showed no sign of revealing her true strength, Ning Fan knew his current power was enough to secure a Grade B or higher.

Those who sought to exploit them would return empty-handed.

Thinking of this, his heart lightened. He straightened his back, unmoved by their scorn, and waited for the test to begin.